Harry Potter and the Sorceress Queen
by Faraway
Summary: New chapter up! Fifth year fic. For action, there's Quidditch scenes and fighting later; in romance it's H/C . Also there's an exchange trip to Holland, new attacks, and a mystery behind all......
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. All of them belong to J.K. Rowling. Also, quite a few expressions and sentence structure, too. English isn't my native language, so I'm don't have a very big vocabulary. Right now I'm trying to improve my writing skills, so if anyone finds some grammar fault or incorrectly used word, please tell me!   
  
A/N: Well, after I finished GoF, I just can't wait for the fifth book, so I started searching for fanfiction. Luckily I discovered this site! After reading a lot of fics, I felt like writing one of my own too, so here it is~Hope you'll enjoy it!  
  
  
  
"Oh come on Hermione. You've been studying for ages, even on that Muggle taxi! Can't you just put down your book for a sec?"  
  
"I can't. I was supposed to finish 329 pages, but my parents wanted to go to Spain on the holidays, and I couldn't fit all the books in my trunk......"  
  
"But the O.W.L.s are ages away! We've got a whole year to study......"  
  
"You mean there's only a year left! Honestly, Ron, you should be ashamed of yourself, moping around all day! If you hate being poor so much, why don't you study hard enough to be prepared for a good job when you graduate!"  
  
Harry leaned back on his seat, watching trees, houses, and animals flash past, as the Hogwarts Express rumbled on. He had no intention to act peacemaker as Ron and Hermione quarreled at the top of their voices, which at the end, Hermione tucked her book--'Scoring High on O.W.L.s, revised edition' under her arm, opened the compartment door and slammed it shut. Ron leaned back heavily on his seat beside Harry, and stared on the other side of the compartment. Harry assumed Hermione had gone to the prefect's compartment at the front. She was made prefect this year (to nobody's surprise). At first she insisted on staying with Harry and Ron, but now......  
  
Harry's in his fifth year now, and immensely glad to get away from the Dursleys again. They had been even more horrible than ever (Mainly because of Dudley's tongue incident last year). Uncle Vernon forbade him leave his bedroom except when Harry needed to use the bathroom. Aunt Petunia gave him only two meals a day. Harry wrote back to Sirius, describing his plight. Sirius promptly sent back a letter addressed to Uncle Vernon, which perturbed him greatly. Vernon Dursley let Harry resume to his normal life, and even consented to drive Harry to Hermione's house two weeks before school term. Harry had a very nice time there, as the Grangers were very good to him. He and Hermione later went to the Burrow using Floo Power.  
  
When Harry was at the Dursleys, they seldom took any notice of him, so when Harry wasn't doing his homework, visions of last years events kept coming back to him. Voldemort rising again, Death Eaters surrounding him, Cedric lying dead on the ground......these all made him shiver at the recollection. Anyway, he told himself firmly, there's nothing you can do at the moment. Trust Dumbledore and go on with your life.  
  
Fortunately, at the Burrow, there were plenty of things to distract him. Fred and George kept popping up now and then, showing him their new inventions. For example--the Blasting Bananas. They looked just like ordinary bananas, but when you start to peel them, the insides explode with a loud bang, just like letting off a firecracker. Ron had a new broomstick, a Nimbus 2001 which Fred and George bought him, and he often dragged Harry outside to play Quidditch. Ginny often would turn up with delicious homemade snacks, saying they were from Mrs. Weasley. Hermione didn't hang around much, she was busy absorbing O.W.L.s textbooks, and sometimes admonished Harry and Ron for "wasting their time on broomsticks".  
  
"Harry?" Ron was peering at him.  
  
"What?" Harry jerked out of his reverie.  
  
"Hey, reckon Quidditch matches will be back this year?" Harry nodded, a warm feeling swept over him at the mention of Quidditch.  
  
"Well......I've been thinking this summer, since Wood has left, I'd like to try for the Keeper. D' you think I can make it?" Ron said the rest in a rush, excitement diffusing over his face.  
"What?" said Harry for the second time. So that's the reason why Ron's been practicing so frequently during the summer. Fred and George were busy inventing and didn't come out often.  
  
"Um......I don't know," said Harry slowly. Seeing Ron looking a bit disappointed, he hastily added, "I mean, I don't know if there's any one good, you know Wood was really good. But we don't know if there's any one else......"  
  
"Oh......well," said Ron. "Anyway, I just hope we can beat Malfoy that slimy git this year!"  
  
"Yeah......"  
  
Finally, about ten minutes before the train reached its destination, Hermione came striding back. She appeared to have forgotten her quarrel with Ron and conversed with them quite normally.  
  
When they entered the enormous Great Hall, the thousands of candles were floating in midair and the golden plates and goblets were waiting to be filled. Harry was feeling famished of course, and tried to divert his attention by watching the Sorting.  
  
When the first Ravenclaw was named, Harry caught a glimpse of Cho Chang at her table. She was smiling as she applauded the new student along with her friends, but there was something in her eyes......a sad, absent look. Harry knew she must be mourning for Cedric, and he swallowed, looking back down at the table.  
  
During the feast, Hermione suddenly nudged him. "Look at the teacher's table!" she hissed.  
  
Harry and Ron looked accordingly. There indeed was some difference. Snape wasn't there, and Fleur Delacour was sitting in his place. Also, a slightly plump, jolly looking witch with short golden brown curls was sitting at the end of the table.  
  
"What's the meaning of this?" Ron was staring with his roast chicken dangling from his mouth.  
  
"We've got a new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher, that's for sure," said Hermione thoughtfully. "But why's Snape gone? And that Fleur Delacour, what's she doing here? She's......she's not taking his place, is she?"  
  
Harry remembered last year Dumbledore had assigned some unknown mission to Snape. Maybe that's why he's away. And Fleur did tell them she was trying to get a job at Hogwarts. Anyway, he didn't mind whether Fleur was taking up Snape's job or not, anyone was a welcome relief. He informed his thoughts to Ron and Hermione.  
  
Ron looked surprised. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Dumbledore had got up and held up his hand for silence.  
  
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I hope all of you had had a pleasant holiday and that everyone is ready to come back and enjoy and participate in the new year. First. I would like to introduce our new teachers. I am sure all of you remember one of our last year's Triwizard Tournament's champions--Miss Fleur Delacour!"  
  
Fleur rose at the mention of her name and bowed slightly. There was some scattered, unenthusiastic applause, maybe it was the fact that Fleur didn't do well in the tournament, or she simply looked too young. Fleur sat down looking rather hurt.  
  
"Miss Delacour has kindly offered to fill in our Potions master's position, since Professor Snape is away due to some business," continued Dumbledore. "And now let us welcome our new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher--Professor Evelyn Jenna!"  
  
The plump witch stood up and smiled jovially at the students. Harry and his friends clapped politely, as they didn't know whether Professor Jenna was good or not. However, Harry thought she would be all right, judging from her cheerful appearance.  
  
"Professor Jenna has just returned from Africa. She is a great traveler, therefore it is an honour that she decided to settle down at Hogwarts to teach. Now, I would like to mention a new event, which I am sure would be of great interest to you."  
  
He paused, clearly amused that the students started whispering to each other. "What could it be?" "Not another Triwizard Tournament?"  
  
Dumbledore cleared his throat and said, "I am pleased to inform you that there will be an exchange trip to Holland next February."  
  
A ripple of excitement ran through the crowd. Harry saw Hermione's eyes shining with anticipation.  
  
"However, only certain students shall be allowed to go. The winning team of this year's Inter-House Quidditch Cup will go to Holland to compete with Manxwell Academy of Magic. Since we only have half years' time to select our representatives, three matches will take place on the 6th of October, the 15th of October and the 20th of November. One defeat, and you're out of the running. House captains please report to Madam Hooch tonight to draw lots. Please remember that the main purpose of this event is to establish friendly ties between international young wizards, so I am sure you will all support our representing team, whoever they may be, wholeheartedly. And now, it's time for bed!"  
  
Harry felt a tinge of excitement rush through his body. Playing Quidditch in Holland! He was sure they could win, Gryffindor had won the cup during his third year. All they needed now was a spanking good Keeper and a tough training......  
  
"Harry!" Ron thumped him on the back. "This is awesome! Wish I could go......"  
  
Fred and George came over too.  
  
"We've got to win," said Fred, looking dreamily up on the starry ceiling.  
  
"Imagine, Quidditch in Holland," added George, crossing his hands on his chest.  
  
Harry grinned. He noticed Hermione was the only one looking downcasted. Ron was talking loudly.  
  
"Don't bother, Weasley," came the cold drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. "You'll have to sell your house, besides, you're not going to be lucky this year."  
  
"Shut up, Malfoy," retorted Harry. "Your stinking riches aren't going to buy you a way to Holland."  
  
Malfoy flushed. "You'd better take care of yourself, Potter," he sneered. "Try not be so suicidal when you play......"  
  
He got no further, for Fred had darted forward, and set off a Blasting Banana in his face.  
  
"Come on!" They rushed through the talking and laughing crowd, in case Crabbe and Goyle were thinking of revenge, or a teacher might show up. Ron suddenly stopped.  
  
"Where's Hermione?"  
  
"Dunno......" said Harry, looking around. But soon they spotted Hermione leading a group of first years to the portrait hole.  
  
"Forward, all of you!" she shouted. "The new password's 'Merlin's beard'!"  
  
"Where were you?" asked Harry, as they entered the common room.  
  
"Oh, that reminds me," Hermione thrust a piece of rolled parchment before him.  
  
"What's that?" asked Ron curiously.  
  
Harry didn't answer. He unrolled the parchment and read as follows:  
  
Harry--Hi, this is Julie Anne Falukner. Can you meet me at the trophy room tomorrow night at seven? I've got something important to tell you. Please tell me if you can come. I'll be over at breakfast.  
  
Harry looked up in sheer amazement.  
  
"She's a Ravenclaw prefect," said Hermione, who was wearing a skeptical expression. "She gave it to me when I was taking those first years here. I tried to ask her what it was, but she just waved and hurried away."  
  
"Seems you've got a secret admirer, Harry!" said Ron, smirking.  
  
Hermione frowned. "From the way she writes, it doesn't look that way. Harry, you don't know this Julie Anne Faulkner, do you? And she's got something important to tell!"  
  
"D' you think I'd better not go then?" asked Harry, though his curiosity was roused.  
  
Ron still thought Julie Anne was a Harry Potter fan, so he made no objection. Hermione hesitated for a moment, then said it might be okay. "I guess there's no real harm in going."  
  
Every other Gryffindor were discussing animatedly about the exchange trip. Harry soon joined in, as he was on the team. Ron also engaged into a lively conversation with Dean and Seamus. Hermione, however, went straight up to bed.  
  
Finally, at midnight, Harry and the other boys of his dormitory mounted the staircase. When Harry lay on his bed, thoughts kept swimming in his mind. He did have a strong desire to go to Holland and play Quidditch against a foreign team. Then his thoughts drifted to Julie Anne Faulkner. Why would someone he'd never seen or talked to would have something important to tell him?  
  
Harry had this feeling that his fifth year at Hogwarts was going to bring unexpected surprises, just like his previous four years. Whatever they may be, he prayed nothing tragic will happen.  
  
  
A/N: This is going to be a long story! I knew it from the start, beacuse I don't like short stories, and the story has to be long to bring out everything. I am not trying to write what J.K. Rowling will do in the fifth book. No phoenix here! I'm writing this for my pleasure. Hope you enjoyed it! Please r/r!  



	2. An Unexpected Revelation

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. They all belong to the amazing author J.K. Rowling.  
  
  
  
Harry woke up rather late the next morning, owing to the fact he went to bed past midnight. Yawning and stretching, he pulled on his robes and went down to breakfast with Ron.  
  
Hermione was already there, a large fat book propped in front of her. Occasionally she would take a swig from her goblet of pumpkin juice or a bite from her buttered toast. She looked up when Harry and Ron sat down beside her.  
  
"Mornin', you two," she said briskly, cramming the last chunk into her mouth. "Harry, Julie Anne's just been over, and I told her you'll come."  
  
"Okay," said Harry, helping himself to scrambled eggs and porridge. "She still wouldn't say what's she got to tell?"  
  
Hermione shook her head, bent down and rummaged through her bag, which was bulging with books as usual. "We've got Charms first period," she said, looking at the course schedule.  
  
"Hope there's something good," said Ron thickly through his mouthful of bread.  
  
Presently they were trooping into the classroom, sat down and took out their books.  
  
"What's that?" asked Ron, pointing.  
  
Behind the pile of books where Professor Flitwick used to stand on was a large cage containing twenty or thirty fluffy white bunnies. Lavender gave a squeal of delight and nudged Parvati. They started whispering excitedly.  
  
"Good morning!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, hopping onto his personal platform. "Today we're going to learn the Engorgement Charms! Now turn your pages to......"  
  
They took notes on the Engorgement Charms for a while, then began on the difficult task of enlarging the rabbits. They were supposed to make them roughly three times bigger. (Professor Flitwick did a demonstration and ended up sitting on the result giving instructions.)  
  
"Blimey, this is hard," muttered Ron after fifteen minutes of swishing and flicking. "Ah......it's growing, wait......no!"   
  
Ron's bunny was getting bigger, but only the ears were. They elongated until they were five feet long and drooped on the floor. Ron was looking exasperated.  
  
"You've got to be patient," snapped Hermione irritably. She had succeeded long ago, her rabbit was exactly the right size with the ears, legs and bobtail all in perfet proportions."Don't flap your arms so, and say the word properly, 'Engorgio'......"  
  
Harry was by no means better. His bunny grew only on the sides; in fact, it became so fat that it reminded him of Dudley.  
  
But Neville's was the worst, it turned out to be a disaster. After countless unsuccessful attempts, he finally managed to make his bunny grow, but it swelled and swelled without stopping. People screamed and bolted for the door as the poor rabbit grew, knocking down tables and cabinets. Professor Flitwick nearly got squashed by Neville's bunny before he made it shrink back to its normal size.  
  
During lunch Fred and George sought out Harry, looking uncommonly serious.  
  
"Hey Harry, we need a new Keeper," said Fred. "Got to find someone quick and start practicing. Angelina went to draw lots yesterday and we're playing Hufflepuff on the 6th of October."  
  
Harry nodded, wondering who was playing Seeker on Hufflpuff's team this time. This made him think of Cedric, which led to a brief moment of pain.  
  
"Alicia and Katie suggested we draft for people who're willing to fill in, and have a tryout this Sunday. You'll have to be there, Harry, 'cause we have to vote for the best." said George with a sly look at Ron.  
  
"Okay," said Harry. "What about team captain?"  
  
"Um......guess we'll take another vote when the new Keeper's born. The Weasley twins left.  
  
In the afternoon they had Divination and Potions. Ron fell asleep during Divination and gave a loud snore, which led to detention from a very angry Professor Trelawney.  
  
Fleur was looking older and more mature than they'd seen her last year. She apparently had cut her long silvery hair shorter, for it was twisted into a bun at the back of her head. She also wore glasses with black rectangular frames. When she swept stately into the dungeons, she caught Harry's eye and smiled.  
  
"Professor Snape 'as informed me to continue on antidotes," she said solemnly, ignoring contemptuous looks from the Slytherins. "We will start on a different type today, one zat cures chronic diseases......"  
  
It turned out that Fleur knew quite a lot on Potions. Harry had the most satisfactory Potions lesson he has had for years. Fleur was strict, but she did not pick on him like Snape. She even assigned extra homework to Crabbe and Goyle, something that Snape never did.  
  
"I hope she stays!" said Ron fervently after class, as they made way to dinner. "She's much better than Snape......"  
  
Harry agreed wholeheartedly. Hermione said nothing; her eyes narrowed slightly when Ron spoke. Harry noticed this.  
  
"What's the matter?" he asked her.  
  
"Nothing......I mean, you boys just think she's better 'cause she's beautiful!" said Hermione, her face flushed. Without waiting for a reply, she walked quickly ahead of them to the dinner's table.  
  
Ron and Harry looked at each other in mild astonishment. "What's up with her?" asked Ron.  
  
Hermione ate her dinner in a hurry, hardly saying a word. When she finished, she said to Harry, "Remember you have a date!" She hurried off in the direction of the library.  
  
Harry thought Hermione was acting a bit queer, but he had other things on his mind to worry. After dinner, he left for the trophy room. Ron grinned and said, "See you then!" but his grin faded when Professor Mcgonagall turned up, telling him his detention was to clean up the boys' bathroom with Filch.  
  
Harry walked down corridors and stairs, still pondering about Julie Anne's message, so he failed to notice Peeves, who suddenly sneaked up behind him and emptied a large waste paper basket over his head.  
  
"Dessert for you, Potter!" Peeves screeched, watching Harry struggle in deep amusement. Footsteps sounded on the floor, and Peeves zoomed away, cackling gleefully.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
Harry stuck his head out of the pile of rubbish. Two girls were standing before him. One was very pretty with silky nut-brown hair, while the other was equally attractive with chin-length pale blond hair.  
  
All of a sudden, both girls burst into laughing. The brown-haired girl was still giggling with her hand over her mouth as she bent down to help Harry out of the garbage. Fortunately, the rubbish consisted mostly of thrown away parchments, nothing really dirty.  
  
"Repairo!" The blond one directed her wand to the scattered mess and the scraps of parchment flew into the air and landed neatly in the waste paper basket Peeves had dropped. Then the brown-haired girl steered a slightly dazed Harry into the trophy room. The blond girl closed the door behind them.  
  
"Hi Harry, I'm Julie Anne Faulkner," said the brown-haired girl, smiling at him. She gestured toward her companion. "And this is Nicole White."  
  
Harry nodded politely, not knowing what to say at the moment.  
  
"You're probably wondering why I wrote that note to you, Harry," continued Julie Anne. "We've wanted to talk to you, seriously. It's about Cho."  
  
"Cho?" Harry felt himself going red.  
  
"Listen, Harry," There was a note of urgency in Julie Anne's tone. "We're Cho's best friends. She's been suffering greatly since Cedric's death. Cho doesn't show it outside, 'cause she doesn't want everyone to worry, but we can see she's hurting deeply inside. So, Nicole and I decided to ask you for help."  
  
"What?" Harry couldn't help blurting out. "I mean, I'm not even a friend......"  
  
"Harry, Cho likes you," said Julie Anne desperately. Seeing Harry's ASTONISHED expression, she hastily explained, "Harry, Cho has liked you since that time she played Quidditch with you. She had been agonizing whether to ask you out, but when she confessed her troubles to us, we just laughed at her, saying she's too old and you're always hanging out with top student Hermione Granger......"  
  
"We shouldn't have made fun of her," piped up Nicole. "Cho seemed subdued after that, and later when Cedric got picked as a school champion, he asked her out. We've expected this, Cedric has been finding excuses to talk with her since her fourth year. Cho couldn't find any reason to refuse him, Cedric's really a nice guy, and we'd think her stupid to say no to someone like him. Personally, I think Cho went out with him because it will make her forget you. But it didn't work."  
  
Harry's eyes were widening. This must be insane, impossible......the pretty, popular girl of the school he'd had a crush on actually had a secret liking for him?  
  
"But......but she turned me down when I asked her to the ball......"  
  
"Yes, but she was convinced you wouldn't ask her!" said Julie Anne in mild fury. "She felt so bad to refuse you when you asked her only a few days before the ball."  
  
"Anyway, Cedric really liked Cho," carried on Nicole. "She did her best to reciprocate his feelings, but......I don't like to admit it, Cedric's boring. He can't see the point of a joke, so Cho didn't have much fun with him. Remember that sword fight she had with Peeves?" she added to Julie Anne.  
  
"Oh yeah," smiled Julie Anne. "And on our third year, it was Cho's idea that we sneak into Lockhart's office and put a Hair Changing Spell on his hair curlers. It made his hair turn blue." Harry pictured a blue-haired Lockhart in his mind and grinned too.  
  
"Cho meant to break it gently to Cedric that she only wanted to be friends, after the third task," said Nicole."But......but.......Cedric......" She broke off, as if the mention of Cedric's death was too much.  
  
"You understand now, Harry?" said Julie Anne seriously. "Cho thinks there's no chance for you and her now, look at the situation. You want to help her, don't you?"  
  
"Er......" Harry more than wanted to help, when he heard this unexpected revelation.  
  
"Just drop a kind word for her, here and there," suggested Nicole. "Cho gets up at six every morning to practice kung-fu. I guess that's the best way to ensure some privacy."  
  
"But don't do it too straightforward, okay?" warned Julie Anne, her manner strangely similiar to Hermione's when Harry and Ron were doing something against the rules. "Just let her know you still care and you'll willing to wait until time has healed her grief for Cedric."  
  
Promising he'll do his best, Harry waved goodbye to the Ravenclaw girls and walked back to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
"Cho likes you......she likes you......" their voices echoed in his ears. This was something he often dreamed of, yet never believed it could come true. Harry knocked a fist on his head to make sure he wasn't dreaming.  
  
"Merlin's beard," he said listlessly to the Fat Lady. She swung forward, and he climbed in. Ron wasn't in the common room. Hermione was sitting in a distant corner, reading as usual. Harry went over to her and she looked up.  
  
"What did she tell you?"  
  
In low tones, Harry gave her the details of the conversation. Hermione listened intently, unconscious that she had forgotten to bookmark her page. When Harry finished she was almost speechless.  
  
"Harry......" she said, recollecting her thoughts. "Erm......well, what are you going to do then?"  
  
"I don't know," said Harry, blushing furiously. "She's always surrounded by friends, so I guess I'll find her when she's practicing kung-fu and talk to her, I s'ppose."  
  
"Wait for some time," advised Hermione, her expression resembling Julie Anne. "She wouldn't like it, you know, springing at her at the beginning of school term......"  
  
Harry was feeling rather tired now. Declining the Creevey brothers' invitation to join them, he simply went up to bed. He didn't feel like sleeping though. Harry lay down on the sheets, thinking about Cho. How she could have a liking for him? But the Ravenclaw girls can't be lying to him, or they wouldn't have bothered even to talk to him. The guilt of Cedric's death still weighed heavily on his heart. But anyway, he is dead and perhaps the best thing to do was to comfort the living, besides, Cedric wouldn't want to see Cho grief-stricken for a long time.   
  
Ron came up ten minutes later, looking worn out. He was complaining and grumbling about his detention, emphasizing this was the worst he ever had.  
  
"......and what did that Ravenclaw prefect tell you?" began Ron, when Seamus, Dean and Neville entered the room, chattering noisily. Dean had sighned up for the tryout.  
  
Harry shook his head and said, "Tommorrow." They joined in the conversation and soon goodnights were said and the boys fell asleep, Harry the last one.  
  
  
  
A/N: I'm a big H/C supporter. I've read some great H/H stories, and it doesn't matter whether they're H/H or H/G, but I hate it so when they portray Cho as flirtatious or bad, J. K. Rowling didn't write that way! Cho was real sorry when she had to say no to Harry when he asked her to the ball, and being friendly doesn't mean she's flirting. Some people hate her cos she's pretty and popular with guys, well, there's nothing wrong being good looking, it's the personality that matters most. Remember Cho is also popular with girls. She must have some good qualities to gain a lot of girls' friendship. It's too bad that Cho is still a shallow character so I imagined the rest. As for Hermione, she's my favorite character at the moment, she's so cool! But as much as I love Hermione and Harry, I DO NOT love them together! It's pretty obvious that she has something with Ron, and J.K. Rowling has confirmed that. As for Ginny, she's cute and I like her, but I don't think it's a good idea to pair her with Harry. She's a big fan of Harry. Cho is more mature, besides, she's good at Quidditch, so I think it's nice if she and Harry could be together. But that's my opinion, of course, and you're welcome to say yours.  



	3. Multipex Charms and Martial Arts

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. They all belong to the amazing author J.K. Rowling.  
  
A/N: J.K. Rowling said the new DADA teacher is a female, but I can't imagine Fleur as one (She can't handle a grindylow!) so I made up one myself. Professor Jenna is created from a teacher I once had. She is wonder ful, telling us all sorts of stories in a powerful, flexible voice. Anyway, the third part is up. Enjoy!  
  
  
  
The next morning Harry related his conversation with Cho's closest friends to Ron. Ron was naturally surprised, but he ended up wishing Harry all the best luck and thumped him on the back, "Didn't know you had it in you, old boy!"  
  
Clearly enough, Ron, along with a whole lot of Gryffindors were so enthusiastic about the Keeper tryout (which meant a big possibility of going to Holland) that they barely paid attention in Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall was delivering a long lecture on O.W.L.S, such as how to prepare for it, changing study habits.......She had to rap the desk several times, and at last assigned them a workload of homework.  
  
"You should bear in mind that the O.W.L.s are taking place in the end of school year! I had expected a more industrious attitude from you!" she barked at them as the whole class (minus Hermione) groaned loudly.  
  
However, tables were turned when they had their first Defense Against Dark Arts lesson on Friday morning. Professor Jenna proved to be a friendly, down-to-earth, pleasant witch, and her traveling tales were enticing and entertaining. Somehow Hermione had started her off, and the class listened raptly while Jenna related her adventures in Africa one by one, including visiting tropical jungles somewhere in central Africa, where a hidden treasure was rumored to be buried a century ago, and renting a magical carpet and flying around pyramids in Eygpt......  
  
"......but the most terrifying one was being ambushed by a Dragonfinn in the Mediterranean Sea on my journey back to Britain," she remarked lightly, as if attacked by Dragonfinns was nothing more than a daily routine. "It was past midnight and I was sleeping soundly on my little boat. I had a dream of flying my broomstick up on a volcano, but it got hotter and hotter......and I woke up in a sudden, and what a shock! My little boat was situated right on the head of a Dragonfinn......it's an enormous serpent-like creature that lives in the sea, extremely ferocious, and several times as long as land dragons......"  
  
Ron and Hermione opened their mouths in horror, but they were not alone. Most of their classmates were staring at Professor Jenna in horrified fascination.  
  
"But they're unintelligent, so it didn't notice a human on the boat," smiled Jenna. "The heat I felt was actually the steam the Dragonfinn was breathing out of her nostrils. I yelled and grabbed my broom, a Silver Arrow, and took off right away--who fancies sleeping on the head of a dragon? She must've sensed me, for she chased after me, whipping up huge waves and spurting fire every second, yes, Dragonfinns are able to breath fire even though they live in water," she added, noticing Hermione's quizzical look.  
  
"Anyway, I reached land in safety about an hour later, my cloak scorched from the flames and drenched as well from sea spray. Lucky I had my broom with me at least," Jenna seemed carried away with the recollection now.  
  
Hermione put up her hand. "That's really dangerous, Professor! Why couldn't you pick a safer place to travel?"  
  
"I didn't have much money with me, like Remus Lupin," shrugged Jenna, a faint blush rising in her cheek. "And Dragonfinn aren't very common these days, they're too large......the Sorceress Queen used to have a herd, though......"  
  
Hermione raised her hand again. "Professor, who do you mean, the Sorceress Queen?"  
  
Professor Jenna frowned. "I don't remember very well now......it was a long time ago......ah, yes, you know Dumbledore's famous defeat of the great Dark wizard Grindelwald? He had a daughter, very young, not more than twenty. Her name was Abigail, and she inherited many of her father's dark powers. She was also known for her ability to tame wild, dangerous animals. For these reasons, Abigail Grindelwald was called the Sorceress Queen, and lived in a great palace, but when her father died, she mysteriously disappeared, fifty years ago."  
  
The class was completely silent. Hermione was going to ask another question, but Jenna suddenly exclaimed, "Good gracious! I've been rambling for almost an hour! We've got to start on the Multiplex Charms today, they're not easy to master......next time, someone remind me about the time, okay?"  
  
Still fretting, Jenna left the classroom, saying she would be back in a minute.  
  
"She's really good at storytelling," said Ron. "Wonder if she teaches as well as Lupin?"  
  
Harry thought Jenna wouldn't be someone who only bragged, like Lockhart. Hermione was still thinking about the Sorceress Queen. "Why did she disappear? The books I've read never mentioned......"  
  
Professor Jenna came back, carrying a huge cage full of sparrows. She then ordered the class to get up and move to either side of the classroom. With a flick of her wand, the tables and chairs rose in the air and flew to the back of the room and piled up automatically, leaving a wide open space.  
  
"Hermione?" Jenna called her forward. "Take the cage and go to the back, facing me. On the count to three, you open the door of that cage and I'll perform the Multiplex Charm."  
  
Hermione obeyed, picked up the cage and walked to the back and turned around. She was standing at a distance of five yards from Jenna and was looking serious. The class stood waiting with curious stares.  
  
"Watch carefully, everyone!" cried Jenna. "One, two, three!"  
  
The sparrows flew out of the cage in a rush, twittering madly. Jenna raised her wand and shouted, "Debilitatus!"  
  
Jets of light of various colors shot out of her wand and zoomed in different directions. (Harry had a fleeting impression of fireworks) Each beam of light hit a sparrow squarely and within seconds, all of the sparrows were lying on the ground.  
  
"They're only stunned," said Jenna soothingly, seeing Neville was about to collapse. "It'll take a few minutes for them to regain consciousness, though......."  
  
Sure enough, the sparrows twitched and fluttered their wings soon, and soared out of the window. Jenna watched until the last one was out, then restored the original state of the classroom with another flick of her wand.  
  
"The Multiplex Charm comes useful when you're surrounded by many enemies," she started explaining. "Even a lot of qualified wizards cannot do it well, because you not only have to make sure each beam of light hits every enemy, but the aims have to be strong enough to stun them as well. We'll do them on the Quidditch field next class, to have enough space fo everyone. Meanwhile, please research as many books on Multiplex Charms, and compose an essay on it. I want it handed in on Monday......"  
  
The bell rang and the class began to leave, talking excitedly about Jenna's adventures, the mystery of the Sorceress Queen and her spectacular performance of the Multiplex Charm.  
  
"She seems as good as Lupin," said Ron happily. "Harry, can you help me with Quidditch on Saturday?"  
  
"Okay," Harry replied.  
  
Hermione made no comment, apparently deep in thought. She ate quickly during lunch, and headed off to the library, saying she needed to check out something.  
  
  
  
Harry didn't forget his promise to "cheer up Cho". Since he couldn't lie in on Sunday morning because of the Keeper tryout, Harry thought he might as well get up earlier to find Cho.  
  
Ten minutes past six, Harry woke up, blinking sleepily but he shook himself out of his stupor, and pulled on his clothes. He grabbed his Invisibility Cloak (He didn't want another encounter with Peeves) and the Marauder's Map. Nicole had forgotten to tell him where Cho practiced her martial arts, but that didn't matter anyway. In the empty common room, Harry tapped the map with his wand, and soon located the ink dot with "Cho Chang" on it, somewhere near the bank of the lake.  
  
He set off toward the lake immediately, his heart beating faster at the thought of facing Cho.  
  
When Harry approached his destination, he caught sight of the slender, small form and stopped abruptly. Martial arts, whatever she was doing, was something worth watching.  
  
It was like a sport combining gymnastics and fighting. Cho somersaulted and twisted in the air, leaping high and crouching low......finally, after doing a high jump, kicking in the air and three twists, Cho came landing lightly on the ground, her cheeks glowing rosy red from the exercise. She straightened up and lowered he hands to her sides, taking deep breaths. She stood motionless for a moment, looking at the calm waters of the lake. Then she sank slowly down to the ground. Harry saw tears welling up her brilliant black eyes, one rolled down and fell on a blade of grass, sparkling like morning dew.  
  
It was too much for him to ignore this. Harry took off his cloak and walked over to her.  
  
"Er......Cho? Are you okay?"  
  
Cho lifted her head in surprise. Harry stood looking at her nervously, hoping he wouldn't say anything stupid.  
  
"Harry? What are you doing here?" In a flash, she had whisked away her tears, trying to look normal.  
  
"I......er......I wasn't very sleepy, so I thought I'd take a walk......" said Harry rather clumsily. Searching for something to say, he continued, "Um......what's that you've been doing?"  
  
"That? Oh, you mean kung-fu. Martial arts, I mean. I've learned it in China since I was little. It's useful to keep myself conditioned for Quidditch......" Cho suddenly put up her hands, into a position like a swordsman ready to fight. "Want to challenge the master?"   
  
Harry shook his head and grinned back, glad to see Cho regained a little of her usual cheery self. Sitting down beside her, they chatted lightly on Quidditch for some time. Cho showed no sign of her hidden feelings, but her manner was very nice anyway, sometimes slightly teasing and playful. Harry didn't realize how much time passed until Cho suddenly said, "Sorry, but I've got to go now. I admit I'm pretty hungry." She gave Harry a cheerful smile, and headed back to the castle.  
  
Harry had a sudden temptation to walk her back to breakfast, but something held him back. Cho was still sad about Cedric; she needed time to heal the emotional scars; she wasn't ready to sentimental stuff, anyway. Harry looked after her retreating back and sighed inwardly.  
  
  
A/N: I got the idea of the Dragonfinn out of a book called "The Ancient of Erebus" by Ivan T. Dickson. It's about a lot of legends and myths on all sorts of creatures, from male. female, beasts, ghosts......you name it! The basilisk is also listed but different from what J.K. Rowling described. As for Cho practicing martial arts......I've always loved novels and movies on kung-fu so I thought it interesting to incorporate this into the fic. It'll come useful (Not only in Quidditch) !   
  
ps. Someone pointed out that the martial arts Cho did here isn't really traditional in China. I know that, I'm a huge fan of Louis Cha's (Jin Yong) novels-THEY ARE FANTASTIC! Even better than Harry Potter series, honestly! The characters are more realistic and the plots' as complicated as Ellery Queen's mysteries, and the fighting scenes are MAGNIFICENT! But wait, I'm rambling...anyway, I DO understand Cho's kung-fu is not really those practiced in China, but it looks much cooler and intriguing. If you've seen Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon, I'm trying to describe Cho's kung-fu this way, but it is NOT traditional Chinese kung-fu. It's exaggerated with somersaulting and handsprings, but, by Jove, it's worth watching~  



	4. Quidditch tryout and more......

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. They all belong to the amazing author J.K. Rowling  
  
A/N: I'd like to thank Harry Potter Lexicon, it's a great site where you can find a wealth of information on Harry Potter. There's a map of Hogsmeade, which was most useful. Well, here's the fourth part.  
  
  
  
  
"Ronald Weasley."  
  
His face pale and nervous, Ron clutched his new Nimbus 2001 and marched onto the Quidditch field. He kicked off from the ground and flew up in the air, hovering in front of the goal posts, looking determined.  
  
  
After breakfast, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked down to the Quidditch field, which they had booked for the tryout. The rest of the team were already there, and a large group of Gryffindors were sitting on the stands. With the possibility of playing against a foreign team in Holland, nearly thirty Gryffindors had signed up to tryout for the vacant position of the Keeper.  
  
Madam Hooch had brought ten bewitched Quaffles to the field. She pointed her wand to them and the ten red balls rose in the air and formed in a neat line. When she blew her whistle, the Quaffles shot out one by one, each trying to zoom through the large golden hoops.  
  
Most of the tryout players were able to save three to six balls. Dean was trembling slightly and saved four. Ron did fairly well with a score of eight. Harry and Hermione cheered loudly when he walked back to them, grinning. However, Harry had to admit that Edward Burke, a tall broad-shouldered sixth year was the best; Burke caught all ten perfectly, and Harry could judge from the way he flew, Burke was a superb flyer.  
  
The other members on the team obviously had the same thought. Fred and George conjured up a black top hat, and the Gryffindor team dropped their votes into it. If there was a tie, Madam Hooch was to put in her judgement. But there was no need of it. Soon Madam Hooch read the votes out loud and proclaimed Edward Burke as the new Gryffindor Keeper. Ron was looking disappointed; he had practiced hard during the summer, but he admitted that Burke was the best man for the job.  
  
"After all, you did really well," said Hermione reassuringly, as she and Ron stood a few yards away from the Gryffindor team, for they had gathered up to discuss further problems. "There's so many people after the job, at least you were better than most of them."  
  
"Yeah......" said Ron listlessly, staring at his feet. Suddenly he brightened up. "Hey Hermione, maybe I could be Burke's understudy! Then I can still go to Holland!"  
  
Hermione looked severe. "Honestly, you just want to go to Holland, don't you? We don't even know if we'll win this year!" Now that wasn't true, as Ron had started preparing before Dumbledore mentioned about the trip, but she was too heated up to remember it, for Hermione was secretly vexed about the fact that she couldn't go.  
  
"Oh yeah?" shot back Ron, firing up now. "Don't make that kind of prediction, or you'll sound like dear old Trelawney!"  
  
He got no comeback, for Hermione simply turned on her heel and stormed back to the castle.  
  
  
Hagrid returned to Hogwarts on Monday morning. He wouldn't tell anyone where he had been, "Jus' on some business", but Harry strongly suspected it had something to do with Voldemort, as Dumbledore had given Hagrid (and possibly Madame Maxime) something to do over the summer.  
  
On their Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Hagrid had brought a dozen of queer-looking creatures--monkeys about Harry's size, with large white wings sprouting from their backs. Most of them were looking innocently and curiously at the students. Harry was thinking hopefully that they wouldn't be dangerous or poisonous. He had enough of the Blast-Ended Skrewts.  
  
"Winged monkeys!" called Hagrid happily, untying the ropes that bound them together. "C' mon, two or three people beside one......"  
  
Hermione moved toward a smaller one that looked pretty cute. Harry and Ron followed her.  
  
When everyone was ready, Hagrid called their attention on the front, where he was standing with the biggest one.  
  
"Winged monkeys are one o' the smartest kind o' magical creatures living," said Hagrid."They imitate humans, whatever they do. Yeh' can teach them to do all sorts o' tricks. Only, could be dangerous if they fall in wrong hands......bad training migh' make them evil......okay, watch this."  
  
Hagrid put his huge hand behind his ear and scratched, then beckoned to his winged monkey. It raised its hand (or paw?) and did the same. Hagrid took several apples from his pocket and juggled them. He handed the apples to the winged monkey and it juggled quite well, though it missed one at first.  
  
Intrigued, the class began to teach their winged monkeys whatever they could think of. Harry watched, amused, as Ron tried to make their winged monkey stand upside down. Suddenly Hermione nudged them. "Look!"  
  
Bang! Malfoy had stuck out his leg and tripped Neville. He, Crabbe, and Goyle doubled up with laughter when their winged monkey copied Malfoy, tripping Neville for a second time. Neville got up, his face red with anger, but when his eyes met the muscular arms of Crabbe and Goyle, he bit his lip and turned away.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione were furious. Hagrid was busy helping Parvati and Lavender with a rather wild one, which had pulled Parvati's long braid. The rest of the students were having fun with their winged monkeys, and didn't notice.  
  
"Hermione, why don't you take points from Slytherin?" hissed Ron. "You're a prefect, remember?"  
  
But Hermione seemed to have other ideas. She bent down and picked up two stones from the ground. Pulling out her wand, she Transfigured the stones into two eggs. Before Harry and Ron had time to realize what she ahd on her mind, Hermione beckoned to their small winged monkey and threw an egg at Malfoy. It burst on his head and the yolk and whites were dripping down Malfoy's slivery blond hair. He spluttered in anger and whirled around, only to be hit square by a second egg, which, of course was sent by Hermione's winged monkey.  
  
Malfoy was livid. He spotted Hermione giggling behind Ron, and both Ron and Harry were trying to stifle their grins. However, he didn't dare tell Hagrid, for that would lead to the confession of his tripping up Neville, and Hagrid certainly wasn't going to side with him like Snape. He threw a nasty look at the three and turned around to wipe off the contents of the broken eggs. Crabbe and Goyle noticed him but they were to slow to see who did it.  
  
"Wish I had a camera with me," said Ron, sniggering in a satisfied way.  
  
  
  
As the weeks whizzed by, Harry was getting busier and busier. Lessons were as hard as ever, but now with Fleur in the place of Snape, and Jenna's fairly good teaching on Defense Against Dark Arts, Harry admitted this was the best year he'd had with his studies.   
  
As for Quidditch, they had elected Edward Burke as team captain. Burke was a different type of leader. He usually was very serious, only speaking if necessary. But he was strict and smart, which gained even Fred and George's respect. Although Burke's enthusiasm for Quidditch wasn't clearly expressed outside, he trained the Gryffindor team thorough and hard, never forgetting to book the Quidditch field whenever possible.  
  
Harry sometimes would get up early to talk with Cho. She treated him as much as a good friend, and Harry enjoyed discussing about lessons, experiences and Quidditch with her, for Cho was a good listener and voiced her own point of view of things. She occasionally would be stubborn and sass him back relentlessly but Harry didn't mind. Sometimes, though, Harry would wonder whether Cho still had feelings for him, but of course, he never asked. The truth was, Cho had sensed Harry still liked her and wanted to return it, but the guilt of Cedric kept haunting her conscience. How could she go out with Harry when Cedric was so nice to her? So whenever she found Harry looking at her with something more than friendship in his eyes, she would force herself to think of Cedric and her manner would turn cold. It was painful to do so, but Cho kept resolute.  
  
At the end of September, everyone were delighted to hear that there was to be a Hogsmeade trip on the weekend. After all his hard work on lessons and Quidditch, Harry was especially glad to get a break. He walked a little ahead of Hermione and Ron, for they were quarreling again. Hermione had received a letter from Viktor Krum, and she refused point-blank to tell Ron what Krum had written.  
  
After a tour in Zonko's, Honeydukes, and Gladrags Wizardwear, they headed back to the direction of the Three Broomsticks. Suddenly, Harry gave a small yelp. A small, furry thing came scurrying out of nowhere, skidded to a halt at Harry's feet and climbed nimbly onto his head.  
  
"What......" Harry made a grab for the creature--which turned out to be a reddish brown squirrel--but it scooted down his head and clung onto his back. Hermione giggled. "It likes you, Harry, that's obvious."  
  
"Chipper!" A female's voice rang out, and Harry, Ron and Hermione saw Cho dashing toward them, her gaze fixed on the squirrel, which had dived into Harry's pocket and poked its head out cheekily, nibbling on a piece of chocolate that he had bought in Honeydukes.  
  
"Harry? Oh, sorry about Chipper, he's really naughty sometimes." An amused look passed Cho's face when she noticed Chipper's invasion of Harry's pocket, but she tried to look severe and scolded gently, "Chipper, you come down here right now! Harry, I'm sorry he ate your chocolate, hang on, I'll go buy you another......"  
  
"No, don't bother......" said Harry, as he and Cho tried to catch Chipper, which was dodging skillfully, running up and down Harry's cloak. Finally, the squirrel gave up, with two Seekers after him, and scampered resignedly onto Cho's shoulder. By this time, two girls appeared beside Cho; Harry recognized them as Julie Anne and Nicole.  
  
"Hi Harry," said Julie Anne, smiling at him. "Hi Hermione, how're you getting on?" She was referring to Hermione's prefect duties.  
  
Introductions were quickly exchanged. Hermione and Julie Anne were talking together, as they had much in common. Besides being a prefect, Julie Anne also was a big book lover. Nicole was a bit shy, she didn't say much as Cho and Harry, Ron engaged in an animated conversation. However, Julie Anne, who evidently had been formulating a plan, gave Hermione a wink and called the others' attention, "Hey, how about splitting up for a while? Hermione, why don't you come over to Nicole's house for a while? She's got some wonderful books there. Oh, I forget to tell you, Nicole lives in Hogsmeade." Hermione and Ron cast Harry a meaningful look and Hermione said, "Why not?"  
  
"Harry, Cho, suppose we'll meet you up at the Three Broomsticks in an hour. Madam Rosmerta will be glad to give us free drinks, 'cause she's Nicole's aunt. Okay with you, Cho?"  
  
"I......" But Cho got no further, for Julie Anne had taken hold of Hermione's hand and walked swiftly away, Ron and Nicole following them closely. Ron looked back once at Harry and mouthed the words, "Good luck!"  
  
"Those two......" Cho scowled after their backs. She turned around and caught Harry's eye, making both of them blush.  
  
"Er......" Harry said awkwardly. He gritted his teeth, determined not to get tongue-tied. "Would you like to......er......walk around?"  
  
"What?" Cho was a little flustered, avoiding his gaze. "I mean, okay."   
  
They took a fork that led toward the Shrieking Shack, not wanting to be on the High Street, where their walking together would arouse many suspicious stares from students. Neither of them felt like talking at the moment, so they just meandered on, in the countryside around Hogesmeade. Cho was skipping lightly ahead of Harry, playing with Chipper. Harry was so intent in watching her that he didn't notice what he was walking on and tripped on a tree root, falling flat on his face.  
  
"Are you all right?" Cho was by his side in an instant.  
  
"No...... 's nothing." Embarrassed and furious with himself, Harry got up, brushing away the dirt on his face and robes. Cho picked up his glasses, which had fallen from his face, and handed them to him. When Harry took his glasses, he saw Cho's concerned expression written on her face. Unconsciously, he leaned closer to her.  
  
But Cho backed away almost immediately, and said, "You'd better put on your glasses."  
  
"Oh yeah, ......sorry." Harry quickly adjusted the glasses and tried to say something to ease the tension.  
  
"Where did you get that thing......I mean, Chipper?"  
  
"Nicole gave him to me last summer. She said Chipper was a headache in Hogsmeade, always sneaking into the shops to steal food," Cho grinned and continued, "Nicole meant to adopt him, but after......after last years' events, she gave him to me. To keep me company."  
  
"I see," said Harry. He decided to change the subject. "Cho, how're you getting on with Quidditch?"  
  
"Fine. I got a new broom yesterday, a Windspeeder Seven. Not as good as your Firebolt, but I guess it's enough to beat Slytherin." Cho smiled, the competitive spirit in her coming out.  
  
Suddenly, Chipper, which was perched on her shoulder, gave a high piercing squeak and scampered down into Cho's pocket. Harry saw something behind her, and before she could turn around, Harry, who was quick to react to danger now, grabbed Cho's arm and pulled her behind him.  
  
  
A/N: Well, I didn't make Ron Keeper, but I will let him be Burke's reserve player, so Ron'll get to Holland after all. And Harry's not captain either, cos I can't imagine Harry as the leader type. Please r/r! Any suggestions are welcome! I keep feeling my vocabulary is too small and I can't handle my grammar well. Oh, and there'll be action in the next chapter!   
  



	5. Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Everything here (except a few invented stuff) belongs to J.K. Rowling  
  
  
A/N: I loved writing this chapter, though I also enjoyed thinking up the new lessons. But it's pretty hard to put all those action scenes into the written word, just hope you can understand what I'm trying to describe. Please review or tell me how to improve~by the way, when I uploaded the story, I also lost two reviews from Desiree and Kate Marie, sorry! Thank you for taking time to review my story!  
  
Cho gasped. An enormous creature was moving slowly toward them. It looked like a gigantic scorpion, but its lobster-like claws were elongated, not to mention the long jointed tail, which was pointing in the air and gleamed brightly under the sun light, for the creature was covered with a tough, armor-like shell. It strongly resembled a Blast-Ended Skrewt, only it was bigger and the sting had some minor difference.  
  
Harry whipped out his wand and pointed it to the monster. "Stupefy!" he yelled. A jet of light pelted toward the scorpion-like creature and hit the shell; the spell ricocheted off and hit a bush not far from Harry and Cho, causing the bush to turn a smoky black and wither on the ground.  
  
"Harry, it's no use! The Lady Stinger's shell is too thick!" Cho pulled Harry away, and ran to a safer distance, under a group of oak trees. The Lady Stinger sensed their retreat but it was slow to sense where they were, so it crawled aimlessly about, clicking its pincers.  
  
"But......" Harry looked at Cho; she was doing some quick thinking. In a second later, she had stripped off her hair band, which she had been using to fasten her hair into a tight ponytail. "Engorgio!" The hair band grew longer and longer until it was five yards long. Cho picked it up and faced Harry.  
  
"Harry, I'm going to make the Stinger go for me; I'll make it rear up, so you can hit the softer underside, got it?" Cho said it in a rush; her face was very white.  
  
"No, it's too dangerous!" Harry tried to hold her back. "We can go for help......"  
  
"There's no time! It'll cause panic, so many students are down in Hogsmeade!" Harry looked into her eyes; they were stubborn and unyielding. He knew there was no defiance before that determined look, besides, she was right. He nodded and let go of Cho's arm, gripping his wand tighter. "Be careful."  
  
Cho flashed him a reassuring grin, and turned around, her long black hair billowing in the wind. She walked up to the Lady Stinger and lunged out the hair band at it. The end of the hair band caught one of its pincers and with a mighty tug, Cho went flying into the air, using two forces, one from her own leap and the other from the Stinger when it pulled back. She was now high above the Stinger, but her leap was reaching its limit, she was going to plummet down in any time......  
  
"Now!" screamed Cho, as the Stinger reared up, its other pincer clicking angrily as it reached out to her.  
  
His jaw set, Harry took a deep breath and aimed his wand at the Stinger. "Expelliarmus!" he roared.  
  
Luckily they had acted efficiently on those crucial seconds. The Lady Stinger swayed and fell over, its long legs twitching in the air. Harry, fearful it maight revive, sent another Disarming spell on it. Cho landed on the Stinger's head, panting, but she managed to slip down to the ground. Harry hurried over to her.  
  
"Are you......?"  
  
"I'm fine." Cho stood up and took a few steps, but stumbled and fell. Harry caught her just in time. "My ankle......must have strained it when I landed......" Now the danger was over, Cho felt her face burn in front of Harry's chest. "No......I can walk......" she insisted, trying to push him gently away, but Harry laid a firm arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Stop it," he said. "I'm not letting you walk on that ankle without any help."  
  
Cho met his gaze and a deep blush rose in her cheeks. "Alright, then. But don't dare you do anything to me, Potter." she teased.  
  
"Of course I don't, I'm not risking getting karate chopped." Harry returned, although it was hard to behave like a well-mannered gentleman as Cho's soft black hair brushed against his chin.  
  
Cho made a face at him, then grew serious. "I wonder how that Stinger got here? You know, Hogsmeade isn't a place where monstrous beasts roam about."  
  
"Yeah." It was puzzling. Had Voldemort sent the Lady Stinger to kill him? But how could he know in advance that Harry was in the outskirts of Hogsmeade? Besides, if Voldemort was after Harry now, he would have used something more efficient, as the Lady Stinger was obviously sluggish in attack and Harry could've plenty of time to run away. Anyway, Harry thought it essential to report this to Dumbledore once they got back.  
  
When they reached the Three Broomsticks, their friends were waiting outside the door and all were aghast to see Cho hobbling with her long hair draping loosely down, and Harry looking grim as he helped her.  
  
"What happened?" cried Hermione and Julie Anne at the same time.  
  
Many students were passing by and staring. Julie Anne and Nicole quickly helped Cho to a distant table. Hermione and Ron went to get butterbeers for everyone. When they came back, Harry and Cho told them about the Lady Stinger and how they managed to disarm it. Their audience gasped and were most concerned.  
  
Hermione looked horrified. "A Lady Stinger? But in the 'Monster Book Of Monsters', they are only common in eastern Europe......"  
  
"Yeah, and thank god they're not really deadly," put in Julie Anne. "Lady Stingers produce no venom, so they're suitable oppenents for young inexperienced warriors......wait, why, it seems as if that Lady Stinger was provided for Cho to test her kung-fu skills!"  
  
"But no one knows that Cho is there, besides the Stinger isn't dangerous for her......it can't be meant for her," said Hermione. "The question is, who brought that Lady Stinger to Hogsmeade and why?"  
  
No one could shed more light to the mystery. Since it was getting late, the Ravenclaws said goodbye to the Gryffindors and returned to the castle. Cho was assisted to the hospital wing to have her ankle treated, while Harry went to report to Dumbledore.  
  
Dumbledore was concerned to hear about the incident, although he could offer nothing to solve the mystery of the Lady Stinger.   
  
"Twenty points to Ravenclaw and ten points to Gryffindor," he said, as Harry prepared to leave. "Harry, please be careful and remember to keep your eyes out for anything more. Tell Miss Chang that I am impressed at her skillful fighting, and maybe we can start a duelling club again." The last sentence was meant as a joke.  
  
  
A week later, Gryffindor played Quidditch against Hufflepuff. Without the presence of Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff was even weaker than usual, and Harry caught the Snitch within minutes. This victory was expected. Burke warned the team not to be over excited and concentrate hard on the next match.  
  
In Charms, they were learning the Diminishing Charm now, which was the opposite of the Engorgement Charm. Flitwick brought another cage of bunnies for them to shrink. It turned out that making objects smaller was more difficult than making them bigger.  
  
The date of Ravenclaw's match against Slytherin was now approaching. Cho seldom had time to talk with Harry after her martial arts practice, for Quidditch training took up most of her free time, but Harry still liked to take a few minutes to sit with her on the grass. Cho apparently was severely influenced after the Lady Stinger incident. She had no enemies, and assumed that the Lady Stinger was meant for Harry, so she showed more concern and lesser indifference toward him.   
  
On October 15th, the school was buzzing with excitement. Both Ravenclaw and Slytherin were a well match for each other, and it was hard to predict the results. Naturally, Harry, Ron and Hermione rooted for a Ravenclaw victory, though they hoped to beat Ravenclaw in the final match. After breakfast, they hurried to the front doors of the castle and out on the Quidditch stands to get good seats.  
  
When it was time to begin, the two teams walked onto the field amid the great noise the audience were making. Harry was feeling almost as nervous as if he was out on the field. He focused his gaze on the slight, lithe figure who was walking quite easily in the rear of the Ravenclaw team.  
  
"Hope that Cho gets the snitch, eh, Harry?" said Ron beside him. Harry reddened, but didn't say anything.  
  
"It's hard to say," Hermione was looking at the Slytherin team with disgust. Even though Marcus Flint was not on the team, the rest of the team (minus Malfoy) were still as enormous as ever.  
  
"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch. Warrington and Roger Davies moved forward. Then Harry saw something that made him clench his fists in anger. Cho, who was facing Malfoy, gave him a small smile. Malfoy also smiled, and even more than that, he was slithering his hand up Cho's arm.  
  
The next seconds things happened in a flash. Cho, in turn, grabbed Malfoy's wrist, yanked his arm upward, and with a sharp kick, Malfoy went flying backwards and landed roughly on the ground several yards away.  
  
Most of the Ravenclaws noticed this, and many of them started laughing and clapping, Harry, Ron and Hermione were among them. Madam Hooch went over and asked what was wrong. Cho merely said a few words with a contemptuous look at Malfoy, who had got up and was looking abashed and angry. Madam Hooch gave both of them a short talking, in which neither student paid any attention.  
  
With a shrill blast from Madam Hooch's whistle, the fifteen brooms rose into the air.  
  
"They're off, and the Quaffle is taken by Lisa Turpin, Ravenclaw Chaser, she's heading to the goal posts......" Lee Jordan was commenting as usual.  
  
"......no, Slytherin in possession, Warrington has the Quaffle---hopes he gets hit by a Bludger--only joking, Professor---he's going to score, no-- Ravenclaw Keeper Roger Davies flies forward and saves it!"  
  
Harry was watching Cho; she was circling above the game, squinting around for the Snitch. Suddenly Cho dived, then she raced across the field, her gaze focused on a tiny golden glimmer flitting near the Ravenclaw posts.  
  
Malfoy, who was already about ten feet below, accelerated. He was pulling close to Cho, he almost became level with her, and......  
  
Two Bludgers came pelting out of nowhere, heading straight at Malfoy, sent by the Ravenclaw Beaters. Malfoy's eyes widened and (to Ron's disappointment) he zoomed upwards just in time, his face white from fear. The Bludgers, unblocked, shot ahead, they were going to hit Cho......  
  
Cho sensed the Bludgers coming, she heard the crowd below her gasp, and she quickly turned her Windspeeder up, her back narrowly missing the two Bludgers by inches, but unfortunately, one Bludger hit her foot, and to Harry's dismay, it was the same foot that she had sprained her ankle on the day they met the Lady Stinger. A pained look passed her face, but within seconds Harry saw it again, that determined, stubborn expression. Needless to say, in all the commotion, the Snitch had disappeared.  
  
Lee Jordan was still commentating.  
  
"Slytherin leads by thirty points to twenty, now Ravenclaw in possession, Fawcett's got the Quaffle--argh, no, Montague has it, he's flying to the posts--no, Bludger in the way--Montague drops the Quaffle and it's caught by Turpin--and--no!"  
  
Lisa Turpin was blocked by Warrington, he made a wild grab for the Quaffle, but as both of them were moving fast in the air, Warrington's hand smacked Lisa hard on the face instead. Lisa winced, one side of her cheek was red and swollen. Madam Hooch flew toward them and awarded Ravenclaw a penalty.   
  
Harry was beginning to feel worried; two of the Ravenclaw players were injured, which meant the odds against Ravenclaw increased. He again focused his gaze on Cho, who was zooming around in midair, scanning frantically for the Snitch.  
  
Suddenly Cho shot forward, her long black ponytail whipping in the wind. Harry sat upright on his seat, he saw the Snitch hovering a little way above Zambini, the Slytherin Keeper's head. Malfoy saw what she was doing and zoomed after her. Even if Malfoy hadn't noticed, it was almost impossible for Cho to get to the Snitch, for at least ten players were scattered before her, a Bludger was already whooshing in her way......  
  
Cho ducked, the Bludger passed inches above her; she rose again and this time her hard practicing in kung-fu really paid off. Montague swerved in front of her, determined to block her at the risk of another free penalty to Ravenclaw, he stretched his hands out to knock her, it seemed there was no way of dodging this huge opponent, but amazingly, Cho shot under Montague's arm like a bullet, she was so small and fast that Montague barely realized she was already past him......  
  
Malfoy was weaving in and out of people too, but he couldn't dodge around as deftly and swiftly as Cho. She had managed to shake off Bole, who was trying to hit her with his club, and now Warrington darted forward to stop her. Cho nearly smashed into him, for Warrington had swooped down in front of her in a sudden, but she dived down sharply and pulled out of the dive very quickly, she was speeding toward Zambini......  
  
The Snitch wasn't above Zambini's head anymore, it had flitted somewhere behind the golden hoops, Cho saw this and took a deep breath, she pretended to point the Windspeeder down but immediately shot upwards, Zambini was screaming in rage when she missed her, Cho flashed through a golden hoop, and reached out her hand......  
  
A deafening roar rose from the stands. Cho flew back to the middle of the field, raising her hand high in the air, the tiny golden ball clasped tightly in her fist.  
  
"She did it!" screamed Hermione, jumping up and down. She had been clutching a handful of her robes fearfully when Cho got past the Slytherin players.  
  
Ron was also cheering loudly along with the others. Harry sat in silence; he was still fascinated at Cho's spectacular performance. Her ability has immensely increased due to her new Windspeeder and all those daily martial arts training. For a brief moment, Harry wondered if he could beat Cho in the final match ,but he chided himself hastily.  
  
  
That night, Burke called the Gryffindor team together, and held a meeting to discuss tactics for their next and last match with Ravenclaw.  
  
"Their Chasers are pretty good, but not fast enough......" Angelina was saying.   
  
"Watch out for the Ravenclaw Seeker, Harry. " said George, winking at him.  
  
"Yeah, she did really well today, with that Windspeeder," chimed in Alicia. "You've got to keep your eyes open, Harry."  
  
"Harry." Edward Burke looked pointedly at him.  
  
Harry could feel everyone's eyes on him now. "I'll do my best." he stated firmly.  
  
  
A/N: The Lady Stinger is also from that book "The Ancient of Erebus". Why Cho and Harry would meet one......it'll be answered, but not for some time.   



	6. Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw

Disclaimer: Nothing here is mine, they all belong to the amazing author J.K. Rowling  
  
  
  
A/N: I'm doing my best to write whenever I don't have to fight with my sister and dad for the computer. It's important cos school starts in September, and then I won't have so much time. Please r/r!   
  
  
Harry got up early the next morning because he couldn't wait to see Cho and congratulate her on Ravenclaw's victory over Slytherin. He would've gone the previous night but the Quidditch meeting last night prevented him from doing so. As he neared the familiar spot by the lake, he frowned because the atmosphere was very peaceful. There was no sign of Cho's jumping and leaping, no swishing sound in the air. He wondered if she skipped practice today, recalling that she hurt her ankle for a second time yesterday.  
  
However, when he got closer, Harry found Cho sitting cross-legged on the grass under a draping willow tree. A pile of bricks were placed in front of her. She seemed to be in a trance; her eyes were closed, her cheeks were very red, and a steam of white smoke was hovering above her head.  
  
Harry was torn between bewilderment and anxiety, wondering what Cho was doing, is this another martial arts practice or is she in danger? He walked closer and suddenly fell backwards on the ground; he had hit a seemingly invisible wall. Harry lay on the grass in surprise and looked at Cho; she hadn't budged in the slightest, except the mist above her head thickened a bit.  
  
Seconds later Cho's eyelids flickered open; her face was expressionless, and raised her hand above the pile of bricks and sliced down-crack! The brick on the top was cut into two halves, and Harry could see the brick below had cracks running on the surface.  
  
Cho got up and picked up her wand (it was lying beside her). She pointed it in front of her, muttered something incoherent and the invisible wall vanished. Harry couldn't see it but Cho was walking toward him, so he assumed that the barrier no longer existed.  
  
"Mornin', Potter," she said archly, seeming to be in a very good mood. The mist had thinned and disappeared when the invisible wall was lifted.  
  
Harry scrambled to his feet and stood up. "Another kung-fu trick of yours?" he asked, pointing to the wrecked bricks.  
  
Cho nodded. "It's a training of the inner force, but I'm not making much process," she remarked lightly, looking at the pile. "I gathered five bricks but only two have some......change. Anyway, you're coming to congratulate me, right?" she smiled mischievously, her eyes sparkling playfully.  
  
"Yeah......I mean no," said Harry, feeling like teasing her, seeing her smug expression. "Actually, I was coming to warn you not to get over confident. You've already lost to me last time, remember?"  
  
"That doesn't prove anything!" shot back Cho. She didn't expect Harry to make such a reply, so naturally, she felt mildly indignant. "You had a Firebolt......"  
  
"But I've also grown taller, you're still so shor......" Harry swallowed the last word, because Cho was looking as if she was going to toss him into the air, like she did to Malfoy. The fact that she was shorter than girls of her age was a nerve that mustn't be touched.  
  
"Cho!"   
  
Harry and Cho turned their heads to the direction of the voice; Julie Anne was standing behind them, trying to suppress a giggle. Both of them had been so intent on the other's presence that they didn't notice that Julie Anne was approaching them.  
  
"Harry, you shouldn't have said that," Julie Anne was looking amusedly at Cho. "Cho's really touchy on the subject of......er......heights."  
  
Harry grinned back at Cho. She was looking half mad; half exasperated. If her ankle wasn't hurt, she would've made Julie Anne take back her words in an instant, but now she could only boil in silence, letting Julie Anne take this advantage mockingly.  
  
"Okay, enough of this," said Julie Anne, deciding it was better to end the topic. "Sorry, Cho, but Roger Davies told me to find you, you know, Quidditch again......"  
  
The three of them walked back to breakfast. Cho had brought a wooden cane to support her when she came down in the morning, so she didn't need any help; in fact, she hopped in a quick pace for she was full of energy after the "inner force trance", and was eager to prove she was "just fine".  
  
  
October whirled away and November came, bringing heavier workloads.   
  
Lessons were getting more and more stressful. Fleur had brought several dozen white mice to class one day, announcing she would be testing them on antidotes exactly a week later. ("Jolly good she's poisoning the mice, not us," whispered Ron.)  
  
"Who can tell me what zis is?" Fleur reached inside her robes and produced a long, thin, brown bottle. She uncorked the bottle, and a strange, sickly smell filled the room.   
  
Hermione's hand shot in the air as usual. "Protracitasum. A poison that possesses chronic powers. It can linger in a person's body for several days before it takes effect, depending on how strong it is."  
  
"Vairy good," said Fleur. "We will be feeding the Protracitasum to ze mice now, and test your antidotes on zem next week. Remember to bring knotgrass, leech juice, daisy roots......" she went into a long talk, instructing them what to do and what not to do. Harry could see Neville taking notes frantically, clearly afraid he might forget something and mess things up.  
  
But the most recondite lesson of all was Defense Against Dark Arts. Professor Jenna had devised a three-step plan for the class to master the Multiplex Charm. In their second lesson, she directed them to congregate on the Quidditch field. She had borrowed twenty Quaffles from Madam Hooch, and conjured up wooden poles in a straight line to balance the Quaffles on.  
  
"Now, since we've learned the basic concepts of the Multiplex Charms, it's important to take action. When your name is called, step forward and try to knock down the Quaffles in a single shot. The person who has the biggest number shall get a prize."  
  
Jenna waved a small, palm-sized bag before them. It was dark blue in color and a simple, yet elegant pattern was embroidered on it in white threads.  
  
"Bought this in Japan," said Jenna, seeing the class looking dissatisfied. "This is no ordinary bag. Its capacity is a thousand times larger than what you actually see outside. Japan's a small country with an extremely dense population, so it's very useful for the Japanese witches."  
  
This explanation caused a reverse effect. Most of them were berating themselves for not having thoroughly researched the Multiplex Charms the week before.  
  
The outcome was somewhat unexpected, at least, for Hermione. She was a trifle nervous, and though she took perfect aim, only fourteen Quaffles went down. It was already a good deal better than the others, but to Hermione's usual standard, she had expected at least more than eighteen.  
  
"Nice try, Hermione," said Jenna. "Try to blend a little more force, and stay calm when you fire."  
  
Ron, on the other hand, put too much force in his aim. Two Quaffles were burned. Professor Jenna wasn't very pleased. However, with the Repairing Charm (A/N: I don't know if that's the right name. The incantation is 'Reparo'.) , the Quaffles were restored in a jiffy.  
  
Neville was trembling as he raised his wand. As a result, the beams of light shot out of his wand in such crazy angles that one hit Seamus-who was standing nearby-on the face, causing ugly boils swell up. Seamus had to go up to the hospital wing.  
  
It was Harry who won the bag in the end. Perhaps his Seeker training enabled him to have sharper eyesight, and that he had plenty of experience in curses and hexes, Harry's Multiplex Charm blasted seventeen Quaffles off the poles, which brought a momentary silence, then an eruption of cheering and clapping. Harry was surprised at himself.  
  
In the next lessons, Jenna increased the number of Quaffles to thirty and arranged them into a semi-circle. The last drill was a dozen of Bludgers, which were stuffed in a box first, placed at a distance, then Jenna made the lid fly open with her wand, and the Bludgers flew out at the opponent/student. Jenna explained the purpose of this was that in normal circumstances, enemies should be moving in unpredictable directions, therefore using Bludgers is the best substitute.  
  
"If we use sparrows, they may be in danger of being seriously stunned, besides, we have to bewitch them first to make sure they won't fly away. Bludgers are easier to keep in control."   
  
  
Hermione often helped Ron with his lessons, for Ron seldom studied in the summer because of Quidditch. Sometimes they would go to the library, but as Ron and Hermione's voices usually grew louder above tolerable level, Harry found it better to stay in the common room.  
  
As the date of the Quidditch final drew nearer, Harry's stress was building. Burke was training the team every day, using the spare hours in early morning or at night, so Harry couldn't converse with Cho after her martial arts routine. But he did see her often, for the Ravenclaws were working just as hard and diligently.   
  
Almost every time the Gryffindor team were leaving the field, they would meet the Ravenclaws coming down from the castle, on their way to practice, and sometimes it was the other way round. Once, Cho hailed Harry to stop for a private word, making him blush furiously as Fred and George whistled behind him. However, Cho merely inquired anxiously if he had seen anything suspicious since the Lady Stinger's accident, much to Harry's disappointment.  
  
  
On the day of the Quidditch final, Harry's nerves were stretched to a breaking point. Hermione and Ron were confident they will win, but scenes of Cho's breathtaking performance kept flashing past his mind. Harry was hoping he won't suddenly collapse or vomit out of nervousness and stress during the match. In the locker rooms, the other members on the team clapped him on the shoulder, wishing him good luck, as the Seeker's capture of the Snitch meant 150 points. Burke said nothing; his expression showed it all.  
  
When it was time to go, Burke put out his hand and said concisely, "Let's go." The others reached out their hands too and piled up. The Weasley twins counted one to three, and with a loud, thunderous, "GO!" , the Gryffindors walked out on the Quidditch field.  
  
A tidal wave of yells and cheers from the crowd seemed to engulf Harry as he followed his fellow teammates to the center of the field. When Burke and Davies shook hands, Cho made a grimace at him playfully, to ease the tension a bit. Harry grinned and tried to return one of his own, which was rather badly made. Cho giggled.  
  
"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three-two-one......"  
  
"And they're oooooff!" shouted Lee Jordan happily. "Possibly the most anticipated match in Hogwarts history, as the winning team gets to an exchange trip in Holland......"  
  
"Jordan!"  
  
"Okay, okay......well, Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinnet with the Quaffle, nice swerve around Fawcett, Ravenclaw Chaser, she's flying to the goal posts-duck! Bludger work there by Terry Boot, and the Quaffle-taken by Mandy Brocklehurst, long pass to Lisa Turpin-NO! Angelina Johnson intercepts the Quaffle, great job! Johnson heading to score-no, a back pass to Katie Bell-well done-GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"  
  
The Gryffindors below screamed and shouted as Angelina glided back to her fellow Chasers, grinning excitedly. As this was their last year Hogwarts, Angelina, Alicia and Katie had worked with all their efforts to coordinate seamlessly with each other.  
  
Harry's spirits lifted. Now as he soared through the air, the wind ruffling his hair, making it untidier than ever, it seemed as if he left his fear back on the ground.   
  
Minutes later, another Ravenclaw Beater, Stewart Ackerley elbowed Alicia, which forced her to drop the Quaffle. Madam Hooch's whistle sounded and awarded a penalty to Gryffindor.   
  
When Katie succeeded in putting the Quaffle past Roger Davies, Fred signaled to Harry. This meant a certain tactic they had thought out earlier. Harry gritted his teeth, and faking a look of concentration, suddenly shot toward Fred and George, his gaze focused on a spot behind them.  
  
Cho sped after him, determined to catch up with him this time, but when she flashed past Fred and George, Harry suddenly turned the Firebolt upwards sharply. Cho froze a second, she sensed a Bludger whizzing to her, and what's more dangerous, the Bludger came from a short distance, so it was even difficult to dodge it whether in speed or time. George had come up with the idea, first using Harry to lead Cho on a fake trail past the Weasley twins, so Fred or George would be able to swing a Bludger at her. Much as Harry disliked hurting Cho, he admitted she was the biggest obstacle in their way to championship.  
  
The crowd below held their breath. The Bludger was going to knock Cho off her Windspeeder----even if she zoomed away in time, at least a part of her body would get hit. At the last second, she flung herself off her broom, hanging upside down, only her left leg was still swung around the handle. The Bludger passed above her by inches, grazing her left thigh. When it was safe, Cho straightened up, still white from shock, but unhurt.  
  
Applause broke out from the Ravenclaw crowd, and even many Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs joined in. Fred and George looked a bit downcast at the failure of their plan, but soon grinned, shaking their heads in half disbelief, half admiration. Harry secretly was glad that Cho managed to avoid the Bludger, but he reminded himself the game wasn't over yet, Gryffindor was only ahead by twenty points, he must find the Snitch soon......  
  
Ravenclaw was pulling back now, they didn't practice day and night for nothing. Lisa Turpin, having gotten hold of the Quaffle, sped toward the Gryffindor goal posts with Mandy Brocklehurst at her tail. Burke flew forward, his jaw set, ready to ward off the Quaffle when it comes. Ravenclaw Beater Terry Boot fired a Bludger straight at Burke, he ducked to avoid it, Lisa used this opportunity to pass the Quaffle to Mandy, she seized it and placed it through the golden hoop, scoring Ravenclaw's first goal.  
  
"Ravenclaw in possession, no, Gryffindor in possession! Argh......Ravenclaw in possession again, it's Fawcett heading to the goal posts, a swerve round Bell, past Spinnet, urgh......no, George Weasley blocked her, and it's a penalty to Ravenclaw!"  
  
"It was an accident!" protested George, but he was a trifle fast when he blocked Fawcett, causing Fawcett smash into him. Fortunately, Burke saved the Quaffle so the score was still twenty to ten.  
  
Harry was circling twenty feet above the game, searching around for the Snitch. He suddenly saw Cho, who was ten feet below, had gone into a sharp dive, was it fake or had she seen the Snitch? But he just couldn't stay there and do nothing. Harry shot off after her, desperately hoping he could catch up with her......  
  
Harry's gaze caught a tiny glimmer of gold a few feet above the grass, he put on an extra burst of speed, and stretched out his hand......he caught it! He immediately pulled out of the dive and held the Snitch high in the air.  
  
The Gryffindor crowd below went wild; nearly everyone were jumping up and down, yelling their voices hoarse......Harry's mind seemed to be washed over, leaving only pure joy after winning the game, he was going to Holland next year, but something odd kept lingering in the back of his mind. He soon found out, for when he prepared to return to the ground, his teammates delighted voices sounding around him, an alarmed cry rang out. Distracted, Harry looked down, and saw something that made his mind go temporarily blank.  
  
Cho was bending down over her broom, her face contorted in......pain? It did seem to be the case, for her hand was over her mouth, and to Harry's horror, blood was trickling down from her hand. The Ravenclaw team had noticed this and gathered around Cho, helping her to descend to the ground safely.  
  
When Harry landed on the ground, he managed to tear himself away from his fellow teammates and the cheering crowd and ran over to Cho. A large group of friends were surrounding her. Harry pushed through the crowd, and saw Cho was still in agony, spitting blood. And more to that, the blood had black streaks in it. Therefore, she must be......  
  
"Poisoned?" Madam Pomfrey came stalking down, looking worried, and to Harry's surprise, Fleur also appeared. She held out a small glass vial beneath Cho's mouth, and let drops of the blood fall in. Then she took out a small bottle and poured a strange liquid in the vial. The contents of the vial instantly frothed and hissed, then turned into a dark, muddy color.  
  
"C'est impossible," Harry heard Fleur say, shaking her head. "Protracitasum."  
  
  
  
A/N: Finally I've finished the sixth chapter! The new lessons I fabricated all have a purpose behind them. The introduction of Protracitasum is only one of them. You'll see in the later chapters. Next chapter Sirius and Lupin will return : )   



	7. Moony, Padfoot and Christmas

Disclaimer: Nearly everything are properties of the brilliant author J. K. Rowling.   
  
  
"Someone's got it in for Cho, I tell you."  
  
"But the Protracitisum isn't deadly, how many times do I have to tell you?"  
  
"Well, maybe someone wants to harm her, but doesn't want her dead......"  
  
"You mean that 'someone' is a person who can conjure Lady Stingers out of thin air and make Protracitasum?"  
  
"Yeah......"  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione were in the Owlery in the early morning. Now that Gryffindor had secured the chance to Holland, and the poisoning of Cho, Harry couldn't wait to send a letter to Sirius right away. While Harry was tying his message on Hedwig's leg, Hermione and Ron stood by his side, discussing about yesterday's events.  
  
The previous night the Griffindors held a party to celebrate their winning of the Quidditch final. Fred and George brought back an enormous supply of food from Hogsmeade, and let off Blasting Bananas and Filibuster's Fireworks.  
  
Almost everyone were talking about the upcoming exchange trip. Parvati and Lavender were begging Angelina, Alicia and Katie to buy souvenirs for them; Colin Creevey had produced a V8 somehow and was asking Lee Jordan (he was to be Fred's reserve player) to tape the whole game in Holland.  
  
Harry joined in the frenzy reluctantly, or it would arouse strange looks from the others. He longed to visit Cho, but he was sure her Ravenclaw friends would be around her in large numbers, and he didn't relish the thought of seeing Cho in front of those giggly girls.  
  
The next day at lunch, Julie Anne and Nicole dropped by the Gryffindor table. Julie Anne, her face genuinely worried , told them Cho was okay, but she had to stay in the hospital wing for a few days. No one knew how that Protracitasum came to be.  
  
"Professor Delacour said the Protracitasum was stolen from her private stores. But even if someone did steal it, how is he supposed to slip it in Cho's drink?" Julie Anne shook her head in disbelief. "Find some time to visit her, okay?" She and Nicole went away.  
  
Harry sat in his seat, forgetting his food for a minute. He had this nasty feeling that Protracitasum wasn't the last straw. More unpleasant events are sure to come. Although the Lady Stinger and Protracitasum weren't fatal, what could ensure there won't be more dangerous incidents?  
  
Burke also came over. He leaned down beside Ron.  
  
"Ron, will you be the reserve Keeper?"  
  
"What?" Ron was hoping for the position, but he still froze a moment when Burke made the request.  
  
"Reserve Keeper. You." Burke seemed to think that speaking meant spending money.  
  
"Oh. Yeah, I'd love to." Ron was trying to conceal his delight.  
  
Burke nodded, gave him a thump on the shoulder, then left.  
  
"Did you hear that? Did you hear what he said?" Ron was getting over excited with joy.  
  
Harry congratulated him, feeling glad his best friend was also going to Holland with him. He glanced at Hermione, who initially wanted to say something too, but seeing Ron's reaction to Burke's words, she merely bent down and devoured her food faster.  
  
Ron was still talking loudly, unable to restrain himself.  
  
"For heavens sake, Ron, don't act like an eight-year-old," snapped Hermione, when she couldn't stand it any longer.  
  
"You're just jealous...jealous..." was the reply she got. Ron turned back to Harry.  
  
"Hey Harry, what do you think? We could go to..." he got no further. Hermione had forked a large piece of corned beef (A/N: Remember in the first book that Ron hates corned beef?) and stuffed it into Ron's open mouth.  
  
  
The holidays came, in which Harry was most thankful. He felt his was going crazy, for Professor McGonagall had ordered the Gryffindor team to take extra lessons on weekends, in case they would be left behind. All of his team mates were staying as well as Ron and Hermione in order to practice constantly. Cho was also staying. Burke had asked her to be Harry's reserve player, and she accepted eagerly. She stayed at Hogsmeade with Nicole as nearly every Ravenclaw had gone home for Christmas. She could offer no explanation about the Protracitasum. Cho was sure she hadn't any enemies in school that would go to the length of poisoning her, and seemed keen to forget about the incident.  
  
On Christmas day, Harry got up early, because he had a date with Cho: Seeker practice. He had received a number of presents-a Cheeky Chivvy Clock from Ron, one of Fred and George's newest inventions. It was an alarm clock painted with bright flashy colors and a large smiley face, which changes expression if you get up late in the morning. More to that, the Clock shouts and yells louder and louder if you don't get out of bed, and squirts water on your face as a last resort. Hermione gave him an expensive rubber that erases every mistake you made beautifully, and dances jerkily before you if you get bored with homework. Mrs. Weasley sent a usual package of a new sweater and homemade goodies. When Harry picked up his last gift, a big fat knobbly parcel, it exploded with a loud BANG and showered him with magical snow and Christmas trinkets. But Harry spotted a small object with a card on it nestled in the wrappings. He looked at the card, which was from Cho (Merry Christmas! Hope you liked it!). The real present she had for him was a tiny Broom Accelerator, which he could fasten among the twigs of his Firebolt. Harry was a bit exasperated as he tried to brush himself clean from the snow, but secretly was pleased at his present.  
  
Harry went down to the common room, carrying his Firebolt, with a big smile on his face. He grinned at Ron and Hermione, who were sitting at a table, doing homework. Ron had wanted to take a break (It's Christmas! Hermioneeeeee~), but Hermione refused to let him off until he had mastered the Diminishing Charm. The rest of the Gryffindor team was in Hogsmeade on a temporary break, for Fred and George had been persuading Burke for a day off. (Come on, it's Christmas, old man!)  
  
"Harry!"  
  
Cho was waving at him. Her long black hair caught in the wind and swirled around her, and the hemline of her robes was flapping merrily in the wind too. Her eyes were shining with vibrancy and energy. Harry couldn't think of a lovelier picture. He walked over to her, hoping his new robes would give him a better appearance, carrying a small wooden box, which contained the Snitch he had procured for practice.  
  
"Ready to take off?"  
  
"Of course!" Cho swung her leg over the Windspeeder and kicked into the air. Harry let the Snitch out and flew out in the air to her, waiting for the Snitch to get a three minutes' head start.  
  
They soared high and low in the air, sometimes flying at breakneck speed, each trying to get the Snitch before the other does. Harry marveled at the effect the Broom Accelerator had on the Firebolt. He never thought he could go on an even faster speed than he did before. Also, Harry found he was making progress with his skill with Cho competing with him. Her Seeker reflexes were amazingly quick from her kung-fu training, and her moves were often unexpected. Years after, Harry looked back at these days with Cho was one of his most treasured memories.  
  
After two hours, they landed on the ground, panting but feeling refreshed and energetic with the exercise. Harry took a deep breath, for he was going to do something he had planned with Hermione's help.  
  
"Er...Cho?"  
  
"Yes, Harry?"  
  
"I really want to thank you for your present, and...um...I...I've got a Christmas present for you."  
  
His face burning, Harry handed a small, neatly wrapped package to her. Cho took it from him, looking remotely surprised. She unwrapped the scented wrappings gently, revealing a bracelet. It was a simple, elegant string of small enamel flowers. Harry had dragged Hermione to help him pick a gift for Cho while they were doing their Christmas shopping. Cho slipped the bracelet over her wrist, her expression difficult to read. When she fastened the clasp, a soft, musical tune rang out, sounding like crystal bells tinkling.  
  
"Thank you." She could only whisper the two words and turned away from him for a brief moment, so she needn't look at him, perhaps afraid she might let her emotions betray her inner feelings.  
  
A gust of the cold winter wind blew over them. Cho shivered a bit, for it was some time after their exercise. Harry, watching her back, had a sudden urge to grab her around the waist and crush her to him, to wipe away the pain she had been suffering since Cedric's death. He swallowed, trying to keep his impulse down. Cho might bash him up, not that he minded, but he didn't want anything to spoil their friendship.  
  
"Who's there?" Cho suddenly called out sharply, for he eyes had detected a gray patch behind a clump of trees and bushes situated at the edge the field. She made a flying leap and another to the direction, Harry on her heels. His heart beat fast with anxiety and fear. Was this another enemy?  
  
There was a muffled yell, then he heard Cho's voice, "Oh! I'm sorry, Professor. You're...you're back?"  
  
Harry rounded a bush, and to his great surprise, Remus Lupin was standing there and what's more, a large shaggy black dog was beside him, and wagged his tail eagerly at sight of him.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Harry, Cho," said Lupin pleasantly, smiling at them. "I guess you don't need much teaching in defending, Cho." He gave her a teasing wink, rubbing his arm.  
  
Cho went red and said, "I'm really sorry, Professor. Oh, when did you come back? When you left, it was awful because I didn't expect anyone to teach as good as you. But now Professor Jenna is..."  
  
"Jenna?" asked Lupin, raising his eyebrows slightly. Harry noticed a shade of pink fall over Lupin's face. "Professor Evelyn Jenna?"  
  
"Yeah...you know her?" Cho and Harry said at the same time, and then blushed.  
  
Lupin smiled, and glanced at Sirius/dog and said, "Cho, why don't you take me to the castle? I'd like to see Dumbledore and yes, Professor Jenna, if she's here."  
  
"Oh...okay." Cho looked at Harry. "Do you want to come too?"  
  
"Er..." Now that Sirius is here, Harry wanted to talk with his godfather as soon as possible. Lupin helped him.  
  
"Cho, actually, this dog is Harry's. He isn't allowed to keep him at Hogwarts, so I suppose Harry would like to spend some more time with him, take him around the grounds or something."  
  
"Oh...all right." Cho sounded a bit skeptical, but didn't ask any questions. She bent down and patted Sirius/dog on the head. Sirius perked up his ears and wagged his tail at sight of the pretty girlish face. "Can you sit? Stand? Wow...Harry, your dog sure is clever." Lupin and Harry looked at each other and both wore the identical expression of trying not to burst out in laughter. Finally, Cho and Lupin started off to the castle.  
  
Sirius waited until they were well out of sight and tugged Harry on his sleeve. Harry followed his godfather to a secluded spot, laughing heartily when he thought of Cho's treating his godfather like a real dog. Sirius transformed back to his usual human self. He looked in pretty good health now.  
  
"Harry......," Sirius was shaking his head, a funny smile forming on his face. "You're truly your father's son......" Last time he said this was when Harry and Hermione rescued him on Buckbeak. Harry stopped laughing.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your mother, Lily, was one of the prettiest girls in school. You can't imagine how many guys were after her, but your father eventually won her heart at his last year. And Harry, you're only in your fifth year and you've got a girlfriend with stunning looks, Quidditch skills and......" Sirius couldn't stop grinning.  
  
"She's not my girlfriend." interrupted Harry. Sirius looked surprised. "But why are you with her instead of Ron and Hermione?"  
  
Harry explained, and the words came spilling out of his mouth, from when he first noticed Cho in his third year, how he had asked her to the Yule Ball but got rejected, how she became Cedric's girlfriend but later Cedric was killed by Voldemort, and how Cho's friends told him that Cho in reality liked him, but Cedric's death was what kept them from getting together......  
  
Sirius listened quietly while Harry talked, growing more serious after Harry told about Cedric's death. When Harry finished, his face downcast, Sirius said, "Harry, you said a Lady Stinger attacked you and Cho when you were in Hogsmeade?"  
  
"Yeah. And someone poisoned Cho with Protracitasum in our final match."  
  
Sirius was now looking grave. "Harry, Lupin and I have been trying to figure out who's been causing these attacks from your letters but, it just doesn't make sense. Okay, suppose the Stinger was an accident. But the Protracitasum is deliberately done for some reason. Now, excuse me for saying so, but is there anyone in Gryffindor who's keen to win as to try to sabotage the Ravenclaw Seeker?"  
  
Harry thought hard. He was sure that no one on the team would do anything low and cowardly as poisoning Cho. "I...I don't know......"  
  
"Well......," Sirius was pacing the ground, his brow furrowed. "I must add, though, the Lady Stinger is very unlikely an accident. There was never a Lady Stinger in England before, they aren't very common these days because their appetites are very big and are slow to catch food. But you and Cho met one......" he paused, shaking his head again, then continued, "I wanted to come back, not only because of Dumbledore's orders, but to tell the truth, I want you to be careful, Harry, when you go to Holland."  
  
"Why? You mean there's danger...?"  
  
"Harry, Voldemort's regained his power and Hogwarts is the safest place for you, because Dumbledore's here. From what I've heard of, the headmaster of Manxwell Academy of Magic is also a qualified wizard, but we can never be too careful. Promise me that you'll not go wandering off to some strange place in Holland, okay?" Sirius looked at him with genuine concern.  
  
Harry nodded, after all, he had been through so many nearly fatal events, and wasn't going to get murdered when his parents had sacrificed their lives for him. Sirius suddenly grinned again. "I guess we'd better get going, Harry, I'd like to see that little girl Cho again-just kidding-Dumbledore is probably waiting for me."  
  
Sirius transformed back to the large, shaggy black dog and trotted back to the castle with Harry.  
  
Hermione and Ron were both elated and astonished when Harry informed them of Sirius and Lupin's return. Ron was excited. "Let's go and see him!" Harry pulled him back, telling him Sirius was now with Dumbledore, and didn't want to be disturbed.  
  
At lunch, Harry, Ron and Hermione had hoped to see Sirius and Lupin, but they weren't there. Professor Jenna was at the table, but she was quieter than usual. Harry suspected it had something to do with Lupin. They didn't dare to ask Dumbledore about Sirius in front of the others, for the Gryffindor team had returned from Hogsmeade, and were making a big commotion. Cho wasn't there, so Harry assumed she had gone back to Hogsmeade.  
  
In the evening, Sirius, in his Animagus form, came to find Harry after his Quidditch practice. Lupin was also with him.  
  
"Harry, sorry, but we need to get going." Lupin said. "Good luck with your Quidditch match with Manxwell Academy." The Sirius/dog looked at Harry, wagging its tail as though trying to wish him good luck too.  
  
Harry knew they had work to do, and made no fuss, except to pat Sirius/dog on the head, saying, "Hope to see you soon, Sirius."   
  
Lupin turned to go, and Harry saw him glance at a certain window of the castle, but he quickly turned away and walked away. The shaggy black dog followed him, leaving Harry with a strange sense of loneliness.  
  
  
Desiree: Thank you for reviewing my story every time I update. Love your story too!  
  
Bon: Cho just got poisoned by Protracitasum, if you mean what happened. It took effect when she was speeding for the Snitch, so she was forced to postpone her chase. Who did it will be revealed in later chapters. Any more questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer in this way or you can e-mail me at onemei@yahoo.com.  
  
  
A/N: This chapter is slightly rushed, so I may edit it some time afterwards. I do want to finish this fic before school starts! Please review if you can, as this is my first fic, and I know this isn't very good, so I need help to make the writing better. The next chapter I'll be sending Harry and his gang off to Holland. Yay!   



	8. Manxwell Academy of Magic

  
  
Disclaimer: You know, I know, everyone knows that I do not own anything!  
  
  
January came and went in a state of flurry. Harry had never been busier in his life. But he bore it cheerfully, trying to think of February 17th, which was the date of their departure to Holland. Cho's bright smile gave him encouragement when he was struggling with lessons, and ironically, it helped him too when Malfoy threw him jealous looks in Potions or Care of Magical Creatures.  
  
Hermione was in a very good mood lately, for she had gotten special permission from Dumbledore to go to Holland, according to the fact that she had the best grades in her year for four times in a row. (A/N: I think this isn't a good excuse but I just had to let Hermione go!) In her free time, Hermione had been poring over books on Manxwell Academy of Magic and Holland's culture and history. She was getting along pretty well with Ron now. Afraid that Professor McGonagall might cancel his opportunity to Holland if his grades were too bad. Ron studied hard whenever he had time off from Quidditch and extra lessons.  
  
When the first ray of sunlight of February 17th broke from the clouds and shone on the grass on Hogwarts grounds, Harry and Ron were up and pulled on their robes. Harry had packed his Firebolt and his other luggage into the bag Professor Jenna gave him. Magically, the original weight of the luggage had decreased, and Harry felt as if he had no luggage at all. Fred and George accosted him in the common room, and asked him if he could fit a box of their joke inventions into the bag too.  
  
"How d' you think we're going?" Ron asked, as they made unsuccessful efforts to eat a lot during breakfast.  
  
"Well, last time Beauxbatons arrived by flying carriages, and Durmstrang had their ship......" Hermione was looking for Professor McGonagall to appear to take them to their means of transportation.  
  
"Hope it's something warm." Harry had been freezing from his Quidditch training in the cold, icy winter air in the previous weeks.  
  
After breakfast, Professor McGonagall promptly came down to the Gryffindor table with Cho (Reserve Seeker) and Roger Davies (Reserve Keeper) following her. Cho smiled at Harry, Ron and Hermione while Professor McGonagall requested the Gryffindor team to go down to the grounds, and Harry grinned back, half wishing she would come over with them instead of walking with Roger Davies.  
  
Three magnificent hot-air balloons were resting peacefully near the castle gates. The balloons were painted with various colors that flashed and shimmered. But there's only three balloons, thought Harry, seeing the baskets below. There must be at least sixteen people going, seven Quidditch players with a reserve player each, and Hermione and a teacher to take them.  
  
Almost the whole school had gathered on the grounds to see them off, and there was a great deal of whispering and chattering. People were looking at the Holland representatives and pointing at the hot-air balloons. Professor McGonagall led them over to a space where Dumbledore was standing.  
  
"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, his light blue eyes twinkling as he smiled at the excited students. "I am sure all of you are eager to depart for your trip to Holland. I think, it is needless to say I hope that you will extend courtesy before your foreign hosts. Please remember you are representing Hogwarts and do not do anything that may bring shame on the school. I sincerely wish you all a pleasant journey." Harry saw Dumbledore's eyes flicker on his face for a moment at the last words.  
  
"Harry, Ron, come with me," Professor Jenna's voice sounded beside him. She also beckoned to the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan. They followed her to the hot-air balloons. Harry saw Professor McGonagall striding ahead of them. Hermione, Cho, Angelina, Alicia and Katie walked after her.   
  
Jenna opened a door on the basket, and the boys trooped in. It was like an ordinary hot-air balloon basket. Although the six people had enough room to stand and walk, Harry wondered where they were going to eat and sleep. Jenna smiled and waved to Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch, who both were aboard on the other two balloons.  
  
"Ready? Okay, we're going to take off!" Jenna pointed her wand upwards to the inner side of the balloon, and green flames shot out of her wand, disappearing inside the balloon. (A/N: Well, I don't know anything about hot-air balloons, so I just let magic do the job)  
  
Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch did the same, and the three hot-air balloons rose slowly into the air. The rest of the school on the ground applauded, waved, cheered at their representatives. Soon the balloons disappeared out of sight.  
  
Harry had been in the air on his broomstick, but the hot-air balloons were rising above the clouds, reaching a height he had never experienced before. He didn't feel very cold, there was a peculiar warm atmosphere surrounding them. He reached out a hand to catch a wisp of a white cloud passing, and immediately drew back when the cold air outside stung him. Ron was staring below on the fluffy clouds, speechless. Professor Jenna came over.  
  
"Harry, Ron, would you like to see the cabin?"  
  
"What?"   
  
Jenna walked to the middle of the basket. She knelt down and lifted open a wooden trapdoor. Harry and Ron lowered themselves inside, using a small ladder. When they got inside the cabin, Harry's eyes widened in surprise.  
  
They were in a large spacious room, the size of a normal classroom. A cracking, roaring fire was blazing in a big handsome fireplace. Several large squashy armchairs were grouped around a round table carved from black-walnut. Fred, George and Lee Jordan were sitting in three of the chairs, having an exuberant game of Exploding Snap. They invited Harry and Ron to join them, but the two were curious to explore the rest of the "cabin".  
  
Jenna showed them through a number of doors of the first room. There was a bathroom, kitchen, two bedrooms, all furnished comfortably as the living room.  
  
"These hot-air balloons were provided by the Department of International Magical Cooperation," said Jenna, smiling at them. "We've got three days to reach Holland, so we need lots of things to sustain us."  
  
"Imagine Percy's face if he saw these," Ron sniggered, apparently very pleased at the thought.  
  
  
They had a fantastic time on the hot-air balloon. The living room was always lively with Fred and George's games and jokes, and at mealtimes, Jenna kept them rooted on their seats as she told them more of her traveling adventures. And they often climbed up to the deck to watch clouds pass, or the sea below. Once they sighted a huge airplane flying past. Jenna consoled their fears, saying there was magic around the balloons to prevent them from hitting anything, falling overboard and keep them invisible. Harry enjoyed the nights best, the sky was beautiful like a velvety coat with stars sparkling like diamonds embedded on it. Sometimes he would see Cho and Hermione waving at him, not far off in their own balloon. The boys wished to sleep on the deck, as it was much more fun to lie down with the balloon above you and the starry sky beyond, but there wasn't enough space, so they took turns. Jenna didn't mind, she was extremely lenient with them, and never bothered what they did unless it was really dangerous, and often joined in their games.  
  
On the evening of the third day, Harry and his "balloon-mates" all left the cabin to see what Manxwell Academy of Magic looked like.  
  
"There it is!" said Jenna, pointing down to the sea.  
  
Harry and the others peered down and saw a long stretch of land on the sea. Jenna was pointing at an island at the end of the stretch of land. The island was almost covered with a large, black mass, which was the castle of the Manxwell Academy of Magic.  
  
The balloons began to descend slowly onto the ground. Harry got a better view of the Manxwell Academy now. It was a huge mansion with a flat roof, and a large piece of green stretched on its three sides and widened in the back, which turned out to be the Quidditch field. The balloons landed on the lawn in front of the school, near a fountain situated right in front of the big entrance double doors. Only, the fountain was completely frozen according to the weather, but it was still beautiful with icicles hanging down.  
  
A rather short, bald wizard in navy blue robes was standing outside with several wizards and witches behind him on the stone steps leading to the double doors.  
  
Harry and the others disembarked and followed Professor McGonagall to the short, bald wizard in front. They looked around the surroundings excitedly, but there was nothing much to see apart from the wide lawn. The winter prevented a more colorful outdoor environment.  
  
"Welcome to Manxwell Academy," spoke the short, bald wizard, a smile spreading over his face. "Minerva, I trust to find you well?"  
  
"Fine, Professor Moozen," answered Professor McGonagall tersely. She indicated toward the group behind her. "Professor Jenna, Hooch, and our students."  
  
"Ah...yes. Please let me take you inside...you all must be worn out and freezing." Moozen led the way but the rest of the wizards and witches behind parted to let the Hogwarts guests enter first.  
  
They walked through a large white entrance hall. Paintings hung on the walls, and the people inside them were looking at the visitors with great interest. Some of them were whispering when they saw Harry. The end of the hall was another door, which was also very big. Moozen grasped the handle and pulled.  
  
Harry and the others found themselves entering an enormous chamber. It was at least two stories high, for they were stepping down a white marble staircase which had two other stairways leading to a second floor. Large crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, with hundreds of candles flickering on them. Like Hogwarts, four long tables with students wearing navy blue robes were sitting on either side of the tables. They broke into applause when the Hogwarts students entered.  
  
Fifteen Manxwell students were standing at the foot of the white marble staircase in two rows. Moozen and the teachers passed them and went down the space between the four tables, going up to the staff table.  
  
The standing Manxwell students walked up to the Hogwarts students, each evidently searching for a particular student. Harry found himself shaking hands with a tall handsome boy with longish golden brown hair and gray eyes.  
  
"I'm Gustave Wiecher," said the tall boy, grinning in a friendly way. "I've known you since I was five. Never thought I'd really see you someday." Harry didn't know what to say so he just smiled back politely. He saw that the others all had a ''receptionist'' with them. A plain but nice girl with long brown braids and wearing spectacles greeted Ron. Hermione's was a rather stunning girl that resembled a veela.  
  
Gustave led Harry to a table. Ron and the girl with brown braids sat down across them. Hermione took a seat with the veela girl next to Ron. Harry looked around to see where Cho was; she was sitting at another table with a good looking guy on her left and Alicia to her right. He felt slightly annoyed when he saw she was chatting animatedly with her companion.  
  
The tables were empty except for bowls of flowers for decoration. When all of the teachers and students were seated, food started to appear on glass plates. Harry noticed a number of foreign dishes.  
  
"What's this?" he asked Gustave, indicating a plate of creamy meatballs.  
  
"Bitterballen," Gustave replied. "Better eat them while they're hot, and you can dip them in mustard to eat with."  
  
Harry had fun tasting the Dutch food, which proved to be quite delicious. He had herring with chopped onions, mussels cooked by steaming them on fresh vegetables in white wine, Dutch french fries served with mayonnaise and pea soup, full of vegetables and bacon, sausages, which really warmed him up.   
  
"Which year are you in, Harry?" asked the girl with brown braids, who had introduced herself as Anatje Laurens. "I see you don't have your number stitched on your uniform." Harry noticed that the Anatje speaking had a string of numbers on her robe: V5024. Later Harry learned that the V stood for Vuren, which meant fire in Dutch, one of the four houses of Manxwell Academy. The four houses were named from the four elementals: Air, Earth, Water and Fire. The 5 coming next meant that she was in the fifth year. The rest merely meant she was registered number 24 when she came to Manxwell. Gustave was also a Vuren fifth year.  
  
Hermione suddenly let out a gasp of surprise. "What's the matter?" asked Ron from his meal of Stampot, a winter dish of mashed potatoes and vegetables. "Not trying to start spew again?" Hermione ignored his words, and pointed to the teacher's table. "I can't believe it!" she whispered.  
  
Ron's jaw dropped when he looked up, for a person with a large nose and thick black eyebrows was sitting at the teacher's table.  
  
"KRUM? What's he doing here?"  
  
"He's coming to judge the match, don't you know?" said Gustave, slightly surprised. Anatje Laurens added, "He's now acting as a temporary flying instructor here. He's really amazing, they say he's the star of last year's Quidditch World Cup!"  
  
"Yeah..." Ron was staring at Krum with a look of displeasure. Harry was somewhat surprised and he began to feel a bit apprehensive. Hermione was deliberately avoiding Ron's eyes.   
  
Moozen had now got up. "Good evening to you all-particularly-our guests from Hogwarts. We are pleased and honored to have you here, and hope you will find Manxwell Academy a welcome place to stay." His voice boomed to the corners in the end of the chamber, in order to let everyone in the dining chamber hear what he had to say. It was rather comical for a short, bald wizard like him addressing the school solemnly.  
  
"During your stay, you will be assigned to different classes according to your age. On weekends, you may visit the Dome of Enchantments, which will make your stay more enjoyable. However, make sure you go accompanied by a teacher. I remember when I was a boy......" He launched into a nostalgic talk of his childhood. The school listened in impatient silence.  
  
What's the Dome of Enchantments?" whispered Harry.  
  
"Man, it's a place you'd never want to leave," replied Gustave, winking.  
  
"...... and on the 20th of March, the Quidditch match between Hogwarts and Manxwell shall take place. I am pleased that Mr. Viktor Krum has come a long way from Bulgaria to judge this match......"  
  
Finally, he finished. There was a loud clapping, which was given because the school were relieved Moozen had finally ended his speech.  
  
The students were now getting up and leaving for their bedchambers. Harry wondered where they were going to sleep. Professor Jenna came hurrying toward them.  
  
"Harry, Ron, we're going back to the balloons. Hermione, Professor McGonagall's there is waiting for you."  
  
"What?" said Ron incredulously. "But it's freezing outside!" He apparently had forgotten in last year, the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students did not sleep in the castle.  
  
"I know, Ron," said Jenna sympathetically. "But Manxwell Academy could not offer more than ten places, and it's unfair if some of our students sleep inside and others don't. Besides, we only have a short distance to walk to our balloons. I promise it'll be warm and comfy in the cabin."  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione said good night to Gustave and Anatje and followed their teachers back through the entrance hall and outside. Harry walked ahead of Ron and Hermione. His two best friends weren't quarreling because they were now in the foreign school, but they weren't speaking to each other either. Cho caught up with them.  
  
"Harry! Guess what?" She was looking pretty excited.  
  
"Er...?"  
  
"I've just known who's playing Seeker in Manxwell's team. His name is Randolf Vandyke, and he's really nice so I don't think..."  
  
"The one sitting next to you?" Harry cut her off with a sudden burst that came out of him unexpectedly.  
  
"Yeah...how'd you know?"  
  
"Cho, can't you see? He's jeeeeeeealous..." Fred suddenly appeared somewhere behind them, grinning.  
  
"Own up your love for her, young Harry," added George, smirking.  
  
Harry turned as red as a beetroot, but Cho whirled around and faced the twins. "Shut up, Fred, or I'll tell everyone you and Angelina kissing in the broom shed and George..."  
  
"Cho..." Angelina growled threateningly, her face scarlet, made a playful grab to her. Cho giggled and ran away, out of the entrance doors.  
  
Harry watched Cho disappear out of the door, feeling rather stupid with himself.  
  
  
  
  
Super saya-Jin Gotan: Sorry, but it isn't Edward Burke behind the attacks. The Sorceress Queen will appear in later chapters, don't worry! As for Gryffindor and Slytherin's match, well, in the first chapter Dumbledore has said there will be only three matches because of the short time. Slytherin lost to Ravenclaw in the match so they were out of running.  
  
VyingQuill~: I'm flattered...thank you very much for your compliment. But I still think the fic isn't that good after reading a lot of fanfiction, yet I must say that I LOVE writing this story!  
  
Desiree: I'm afraid that Jenna and Lupin's past will have to wait. As for Cho's guessing Sirius is Animagus, she may have guessed that in PoA, but I think it's highly impossible that she would suspect that the dog with Lupin is in reality a man and that man is Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. The later chapters will answer your questions.  
  
  
A/N: I've been to Holland once before, and most of the Dutch speak perfect English. I really enjoyed my visit in Holland, that's why I chose it for the exchange trip. But I don't understand any Dutch, so the Dutch names I used here came from a website: www.kabalarians.com. They are all first names, so I made some of the first names that sounded right to me become last names. As for the food, I was browsing through another website www.visitholland.com and the food it listed looked so tasty that I couldn't help putting a bit more description of food here :P . I also looked up a map of Holland, and decided to put Manxwell Academy on an imaginary island, between islands Vlieland and Texel. The stretch of land refers to the Wadden Islands, which are a part of Holland, in north of Amsterdam. Enough of references! This chapter isn't very exciting as I had to introduce a whole new environment, but I promise the next chapter will have a lot of fun! If you have any questions, e-mail me at onemei@yahoo.com or lara124@ms43.hinet.net . Or simply post them in the review and I'll answer as fast as possible.   



	9. The Dome of Enchantments

Disclaimer: You know, I know, everyone knows that I do not own anything!   
  
A/N: This chapter as a bit longer than usual, but please don't skim it over in a hurry!   
  
  
The students from Hogwarts found their life at Manxwell Academy of Magic fairly enjoyable and pleasant. The teachers and students were friendly and spoke flawless English. (A/N: The Dutch do speak good English! It's good that they do, because I'm dreadful at making accents)   
  
Harry's favorite classes were Botanology (Herbology) and Zoology (Care of Magical Creatures). They were studying how to grow their own individual tulips by mixing magical tulip mixture in a hollow tulip bulb. Hermione, having done research on tulips before, made her tulip grow twice the normal size and changed into various colors every second, which earned her top marks. In Zoology, since Manxwell Academy was surrounded by water, the Zoology teacher Professor Klass, a tall muscular man, took them out to the sea on a boat, and coaxed magical fish to leap out of the waves so the students could feed them.   
  
  
Perhaps the only unpleasant things Harry experienced were his fame and Cho's being with Randolf Vandyke, the Manxwell Seeker. Although his bangs were long enough to cover his lightning scar, many students could still recognize him. Even the people in paintings pointed and whispered at him. Harry was used to this since his first year, so he didn't mind it so much, but it really bothered him seeing Cho walking with Randolf Vandyke to classes and to dinner. Vandyke, a tall good-looking sixth year of Bodem House (A/N: Bodem means "earth" in Dutch), seldom was seen without Cho beside him, and Harry knew he couldn't blame him or Cho, as Vandyke was Cho's 'receptionist'.   
  
Gustave and Anatje became close friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Gustave was popular in school, especially with girls, and often introduced Harry and Ron to the girls he knew, much to Hermione's and Anatje's disapproval. Anatje, on the other hand, didn't have Gustave's power of attracting people, but she was friendly and helpful. She wasn't smart, but diligent, which made her get along very well with Hermione. Anatje usually played peacemaker when Ron and Hermione struck up a battle.   
  
At ten o'clock on the first Saturday since the Hogwarts' students' arrival, students crowded on the lawn excitedly, waiting to take the boat to the Dome of Enchantments, which was also on an island. The Zoology teacher, Professor Klaas steered the boat they used in class to observe sea creatures up to the edge of the island, and the students were forced to form in lines before they got in.   
  
"Okay, that's all we can take. I'll come back for the rest of you in twenty minutes!" Harry heard Professor Klaas yell at the unlucky students who had to wait for the boat comes back.   
  
The boat started to move away from the island, and gradually picked up speed as it rode over waves.   
  
"You'll love it," said Anatje enthusiastically. "It's the biggest amusement park for wizards in Europe. We can go on Rainbow Rusher, a huge roller-coaster, and Devil's Dungeons and Windmill Wheel..."   
  
"They add a new feature every year, I've read in 'A Thrillseeker's guide to Magical Rides in Europe'," put in Hermione, her eyes shining.   
  
"I can't wait," said Ron, his face glowing with anticipation. He elbowed Harry. "Eh...Harry?"   
  
Harry was scanning through the students in search for Cho. He saw that every Hogwarts student was aboard, but she seemed to be missing. Knowing Cho, he was sure she would be just too eager to come to the Dome.   
  
"Looking for your crush?" asked Gustave, smirking. He had somehow found out about Cho since he noticed that Harry wasn't interested in the girls he introduced and often stole glances the Bodem's table.   
  
"Now, don't tease him, Gustave," began Anatje severely. "We're here to have a good time..."   
  
Gustave merely shrugged and walked away. Harry felt rather embarrassed and tried to divert their attention by taking up the topic of the Dome again.   
  
Soon the boat began to slow down. The students focused their gaze on the island ahead of them. It had an enormous shimmering transparent wall shaped like a dome on it, which seemed to cover the island completely.   
  
Professor Klass guided the boat to a spot where a gnome was sitting on a stool. He sprang out of the boat and tied it firmly to a piece of rock jutting out from the edge of the island.   
  
"Hogwarts students come up here!" he shouted to the crowd of disembarking students.   
  
Fourteen people went over to him eagerly.   
  
"Now, since you are our guests, you won't have to pay anything this time," Klaas told them. "But remember to bring five Galleons with you if you'd like to come again." He reached inside his robes and produced a small sack. Tipping it over, he shook out a heap of Galleons, counted them carefully, and handed them to the gnome.   
  
The gnome took the Galleons, pointed a long finger at the pile and the Galleons changed into fifteen rolls of parchment.   
  
"Give the maps back to my brother at the exit when you leave," said the gnome. He turned back and raised both hands and pointed toward the dome. A large hole appeared and the Hogwarts students climbed through. When they were all inside the dome, the hole closed up immediately.   
  
"Wicked!" exclaimed Ron, looking around, wide-eyed.   
  
There were large roller coasters with mega-loops, sharp turns and steep drops. A large roundabout was going round and rounds not far from them, flashing in different colors to the rhythm of the music. Swings and slides several times longer the Muggle ones were everywhere. Shops with fairies and elves and gnomes as owners dotted here and there, loaded with souvenirs and fun stuff like those sold in Zonko's. A quaint little train was puffing around the dome walls on a railway raised fifty feet above the ground. Fireworks sizzled and exploded in the top of the dome. Wizards and witches of every age (but teenagers were the major group) were walking about, laughing and talking busily. And to top it all, the temperature inside the dome was just fine; it was like being on a warm spring day.   
  
Hermione was already scanning the dome map eagerly. Harry opened his map too, and saw all the attractions in the dome drawn out in silver ink, with labels on them, just like the Marauder's Map. At the bottom of the map was an incantation: Summaris.   
  
"Summaris!" he said, tapping the map with his wand.   
  
The silver outlines disappeared and numerous words appeared, also written in silver ink. They were brief descriptions of everything in the Dome of Enchantments, all categorized in Shops, Rides, Shows, Diners ......   
  
"Hey, you guys!" Gustave tapped Harry on the back. "Where would you like to go first?"   
  
'How about the Devil's Dungeons?" said Hermione, looking up from the map. "It's the nearest next to that merry-go-round." Her tone indicated that she had no interest in the latter.   
  
Devil's Dungeons was a large strangely shaped cave with a vampire's mouth (two sharp teeth jutting from the upper lip) serving as the entrance.   
  
"I don't like the look of it," remarked Anatje, frowning at the pitch-black opening.   
  
"I heard that girls usually burst out screaming from it," teased Gustave. "Would you like me to accompany you?"   
  
Anatje reddened and said, "Don't try act like a knight before me. Your tricks may fool other girls, but I'm taking none of this." She took Hermione's arm and walked ahead of them into the vampire's mouth. Harry, Ron and Gustave followed.   
  
When Harry entered, a wave of coldness and darkness swept over him. Skeletons danced around him, making him feel dizzy. Harry tried to concentrate walking on the path, which was the only light in the room, glowing in an eerie green color. Whispers and wailings sounded in the darkness. As they continued forward, white, semi-transparent hands reached for their legs from the floor and the ceiling. Hermione made a small scream when a large hand slithered up to her waist, but she felt nothing solid, the hand went through her body completely, giving her a cool feeling.   
  
After ten minutes, the five friends were forced to separate. A big black wall stood before them. Anatje, slightly trembling, walked inside when the wall parted before her, making a grating noise. Hermione started to follow, but an invisible force prevented her from moving forward, and the wall closed shut. A minute later it parted again, and Hermione walked inside. They went through the wall one by one.   
  
When Harry stepped in, he saw nothing before him except for a hooded figure gliding toward him noiselessly-- it was a dementor! For a second he froze, and then quickly pulled out his wand. "Expecto patronum!" he yelled.   
  
The dementor stumbled and fell when the white stag from his wand charged to it, and Harry realized this was a boggart. "Riddikulus!" and the boggart disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Another wall parted before him, and daylight shone on him. This was the exit.   
  
Hermione and Ron were slightly shaken from the boggart encounter.   
  
"I...hate...spiders..." groaned Ron. His face was green and he looked like as if going to vomit. "I...thought...it was coming...to get me...but..."   
  
"The boggart won't hurt you." said Anatje soothingly. Then she added, "Oh, I guess it's because this is your first time here. Come on, let's go on the Windmill Wheel over there. It's a nice ride; I'm sure you'll feel better after those nasty stuff."   
  
The Windmill Wheel was a towering windmill with seats attached to the four sails. The sails slowly turned round and round like a Ferris wheel. They had to take a lift first to the middle of the windmill, where a platform was built, to get on the ride.   
  
Anatje was right. As the sail they got on rose slowly into the air, a cool breeze whipped over their faces, refreshing after their gloomy, unpleasant experience in the haunted house. Harry leaned back on his seat lazily, letting his gaze rove from the spectacular display of fireworks to the spinning rides below.   
  
"I say," said Ron suddenly, pointing to something in a distance. "Is that the Rainbow Rusher, Anatje?"   
  
"Yes. Do you want to try that next?'   
  
Harry looked at the Rainbow Rusher. Even though it was a bit far away, he could see that the Rainbow Rusher was a huge complicated mix of twists and turns. If you substitute the railways of a Muggle roller coaster for a rainbow, and take off the poles supporting the rails below, and perform some advanced magic on it to add more thrills, that was how the Rainbow Rusher seemed to be. To be honest with himself, Harry didn't like the thought of going on that ride, not now anyway.   
  
On the way to the Rainbow Rusher, they came across the Weasley twins, the Gryffindor Chasers and Lee Jordan. Angelina, Alicia and Katie were throwing small black balls to a large wooden board planted about fifteen yards from them. On the wooden board hung approximately sixty fat balloons.   
  
Plop! Katie had just done a well-aimed throw, and the balloon she hit burst, and a golden Galleon fell down on the grass below. Harry observed there were already more then twenty Galleons lying scattered on the grass. The twins and Jordan cheered, while the owner of the game, a fat pixie, was moping his forehead with a red spotted handkerchief. Owing to their fierce training in Quidditch, the Gryffindor Chasers easily hit the targets one by one.   
  
"Hey Harry, Ron, want a go?' Fred noticed the group passing. "You've only got to pay three Knuts for a ball. Look at what we've earned!" He roared with laughter.   
  
"Er...no, thanks." Harry thought it would be more convenient if he could use the Multiplex Charm.   
  
"Did you have a go on the Rainbow Rusher?" asked Ron.   
  
George grinned and said, "'Hurry up mate. That Rainbow Rusher's sooooooo..."   
  
"Damn cool." finished Lee Jordan, chuckling when the thirtieth balloon went down.   
  
  
An extremely long line of people was lined up before the entrance of the Rainbow Rusher. Hermione wanted to go some other place when she saw it would be a long wait, but Gustave and Ron disagreed.   
  
"Hermione, the Rainbow Rusher's always like this. You'll find it well worth the wait," Gustave protested.   
  
"Let's go and get some ice creams then, if you're tired of waiting," suggested Anatje. "You guys go ahead."   
  
Still, an hour and half passed--after the ice creams were finished--until they reached the entrance. They climbed a flight of stone steps to a wide platform. The rainbow ran like a long railway at the edge of the platform. A minute later, a dozen carts like the ones in Gringotts came gliding on the rainbow and stopped. A tall, thin brownie sitting on a wicker chair on the platform stood up and gestured toward the students to get in the carts. Harry could see why it took so long to wait; the ride only allowed twelve people at a time. When they were all in, Hermione grumbling behind Ron, the brownie clicked his long fingers and strong ropes sprang out from the inside of the cart, binding them tightly. Then the brownie gave a shrill whistle and they were off.   
  
The carts sped on the rainbow at an incredible speed that could be compared to the Firebolt. They made no noise as the carts had no wheels, but magic kept them glued on track. The riders squealed and gasped as the carts went into three large loops, and climbed up a steep track more than twenty stories high (Gustave giving warnings in a conspiratorial tone), then hurtled down at breakneck speed (Ron was yelling).   
  
They skimmed through a blazing tunnel made of fire (Gasps from Hermione), and another one of ice, and up a vertical helix, fifty feet high. The carts slowed down at the top of the helix for five seconds. They were now so high that the fireworks booming above seemed enormously breathtaking. Suddenly, without any warning, the carts whizzed wildly down again at a 90-angle drop (Harry came close to yelping). They were beginning to slow down again, when the carts made a turn down the rainbow and raced in a straight line, the passengers completely upside down. Suddenly, the carts skidded to a halt, and the ropes that bound them tightly to the carts loosened and everyone, clawing widely in thin air except for Gustave and Anatje, fell headfirst into a big swimming pool.   
  
Spluttering, Harry surfaced, blinking water out of his eyes. The pool was deep, but a strong current forced him upwards. Looking around, he saw the others had all surfaced, except Ron, who was pulled up by Hermione a second later. Hermione's bushy brown hair was smooth and sleek from the soak in the water.   
  
"Wasn't that great?" grinned Gustave, as they trod on water to the edge of the pool.   
  
Hermione made no reply, but she seemed to agree silently that the Rainbow Rusher was worth a try. It was better than Muggle coasters, anyway.   
  
"Are we going to stay like this until our clothes get dry?" Harry asked Anatje, as they hauled themselves out of the water, dripping madly. The people passing glanced and sniggered at them.   
  
"Don't worry, the dome has thought of it," replied Anatje, going over to a small mountain of cardboard boxes piled under a tree that bore tulips, near the pool.   
  
She picked up a box and opened it. A puff of smoke, the color of a peach, drifted out and gradually engulfed her whole body. A minute later, the smoke thinned and disappeared. Anatje had beads of perspiration on her face and neck, but other than that, she was completely dry.   
  
"Cool!" said Ron, taking up a box too.   
  
When they had all dried themselves, Harry felt himself starving. He consulted his watch. "It's nearly one. Can we have lunch now?"   
  
"I'm game." Said Gustave, and Ron nodded.   
  
Hermione opened her map. "Oh my, there must be a hundred shops in the place! Let me see..."   
  
"Witch Wendy's Waterfront Wafts is pretty good," said Anatje, pointing a set of tables and chairs grouped round a huge waterfall not far off. "Or the Grumpy Goblin's Grill. The goblins aren't very nice, but the food is. Oh, and how about Looney's Luscious Lodge..."   
  
"Why didn't you mention the Snowflake Summit?" demanded Gustave. "It's the newest feature, just finished last month!"   
  
"Well...I'm a bit...afraid of heights..." protested Anatje mildly. Gustave snorted. "I think you're just afraid of being a wallflower. Don't worry, I'll take you if no one does." Anatje went red and consented quietly.   
  
When Gustave mentioned the Snowflake Summit, Harry looked it up on his map. The description was as follows:   
  
"Dine at the highest point of the dome offering everything your heart desires, while magic snowflakes sprinkle down and the Misty Fairies play music to you. Plus, a fantastic breathtaking view of the whole dome outside! A MUST experience!"   
  
It sounded so good that Harry, Ron and Hermione made no objection to visit the place.   
  
Gustave led the way to the very heart of the park. A glass lift stood there. Harry craned his neck to see the top, but all he could make out was a black mass.   
  
"Come on, Harry!" Ron pulled him inside. Gustave reached out to a golden rope hanging down from the glass ceiling of the lift and gave a hard tug. The lift rose slowly but it became faster and faster as it shot upwards.   
  
Hermione and Anatje were slightly dizzy, for the lift was made entirely of glass, even the floor was totally see-through. But it didn't last long, the lift stopped after fifteen seconds at a large cave-like house.   
  
They stepped inside. Tiny white snowflakes fell from the black velvety sky-like ceiling. They evaporated when they reached the floor, which was pleasantly warm and glowing with a blend of pink, yellow and orange. Candles lit the round glass tables, which were set around the spacious room. In the center was a raised stage. Three fairies wearing misty floaty robes sat in the middle of the stage, playing instruments skillfully. Wizard folks in their teens or twenties danced gaily around the stage. A counter for drinks was standing in one side of the room, and another counter serving food stood in the other.   
  
The five friends found a table. Gustave was almost immediately asked by a girl to dance, so Harry and Ron went to get drinks, while Hermione and Anatje went the other way to order food.   
  
When Harry and Ron walked up to the counter, Ron's jaw dropped.   
  
There was no menu written on the blackboard hanging behind the smiling owner. "Barry Bott's Every Flavor Drinks" were the only words, written large and loopy in chalk.   
  
"Anything you'd like, boys?" asked Barry, who was the owner, smiling down at them. Seeing that Ron hadn't closed his mouth, he chuckled. "I'm Bertie Bott's brother. You've had Every Flavor Beans before?'   
  
"Er...yeah." said Harry, giving Ron a poke.   
  
Ron recovered. "Do you really have every flavor?" he blurted.   
  
"Yep."   
  
"Then, I'd like a drink flavored with apples, lemons, guavas, strawberries and pumpkins. Oh, and add some whipped chocolate ice cream topped with cherries."   
  
Harry whirled around at the voice. "Cho!" he exclaimed.   
  
"Hi!" she said, smiling at him and Ron. "Sorry if I scared you."   
  
"Isn't there anyone with you?" Harry asked, looking around.   
  
"Randolf's over there with some friends." She pointed to a distant table blocked by the stage.   
  
"Your drink's ready, young lady. Seven Sickles. " Barry set down a goblet on the counter, grinning. Cho paid the money, took a sip and stuck out her tongue.   
  
"That's horrible! Are you sure you didn't add anything disgusting?"   
  
Barry laughed. "Young lady, it would be alright had you not said the pumpkins."   
  
Ron nudged Harry hard. He got the message. "Ouch...oh, can I buy you a drink, Cho?"   
  
The girl looked at him, and suddenly blushed a little. "Oh...okay. Thanks."   
  
"Six butterbeers," Harry told Barry, deciding it better not to try anything unknown.   
  
  
When the drinks were ready, Cho helped them carry the tankards to their table. She said hello to Anatje and Hermione, who returned her smile and invited her to join them. Cho declined the offer, saying she was happy to come, but it would be rude to Vandyke and her other sixth year friends.   
  
Just then Gustave came back, his face pink from dancing. "That's Cho Chang?" he asked Harry, pointing. When Harry nodded, he whistled. "She's real pretty."   
  
They started on the food. Anatje and Hermione were careful to select the favorites of the restaurant, and the boys devoured the meal of hot cheesesteak sandwiches, chicken-ham-pie and freshly baked waffle cones. After they drained the tankards of butterbeer, Gustave suggested they go out on the balcony to take a look.   
  
A door opened to outside. There was a long glass wall about Harry's shoulder height surrounding the Snowflake Summit. "They've put an Unbreakable Charm on this," said Gustave, seeing Hermione's anxious look.   
  
There was nothing like this. The view did take their breath away, as the Snowflake Summit was a hundred stories high above the ground. Harry could see the fireworks a little way below, and everything else in a minimized version. You could see countless white lights if you stand at the top of the Eiffel Tower, but the thousands of glittering flashing lights of various colors the attractions gave off was something the Muggles couldn't make.   
  
They stood watching the fireworks and talked. Many people had come out to see the view too. Gustave had gone inside for another dance, and when he came back, he went up to Harry and began dragging him inside. Ron, Hermione and Anatje were startled and hovered curiously a little way from them, listening.   
  
"What's up with you?" said Harry, trying to pull back.   
  
"Man, if you don't make haste, you're gonna be sorry for the rest of your life."   
  
"WHAT?"   
  
"I saw your Cho Chang is free now, you can ask her to dance. Come on, you've got to..."   
  
"Gustave!" Harry managed to pull free from Gustave's grasp. "I can't...I don't know how to dance..."   
  
"It's simple, she knows anyway..."   
  
"I..." But Harry stopped abruptly, because he saw Vandyke had finished dancing with a blonde, and was now approaching Cho. Without thinking, Harry sprinted into the restaurant, almost knocking down tables as he dashed to Cho. Fortunately, or maybe not afterwards, he reached her just before Vandyke did.   
  
"Will...will you dance with me?" he asked, skidding to a halt before Cho's astonished eyes.   
  
"Sure, but Harry..." Cho was waiting hopefully for Harry, but as she didn't see him at his table, she assumed he had no intention of dancing.   
  
Harry led her to the stage, his heart pounding. The Misty Fairies began playing a slow, mournful tune. Harry looked around and seeing what the male partners did, he hastily put an arm around her slender waist, and grabbed her fingers in the other.   
  
Cho wanted to laugh out loud, but instead she forced an encouraging smile, knowing how nervous Harry was. But when the music went on, something struck her and her lip quivered. Harry now realized that the song was the same one played by the Weird Sisters in the opening of the Yule Ball. He glanced down at Cho.   
  
Her cheerful expression had faded away, as she remembered her last year, dancing with Cedric to this very melody. She had tried hard to love him back; Cedric was so nice and caring to her, the perfect guy girls were crazy about, but...a scrawny, black-haired boy kept lingering in deep depths of her heart. Cedric was cruelly murdered by Voldemort, and she...she was now dancing in that boy's arms....   
  
Cho could not take it anymore. Breaking away from Harry, she turned and ran away, out of sight.   
  
Harry was stunned for a moment, and so were his friends and Cho's. Ron and Hermione may have guessed the reason, but they didn't know what to react at the moment. Then Harry tore after Cho, but he was a second too late-Randolf Vandyke had planted himself in the way.   
  
"What did you do?" he growled.   
  
"I can't explain now," snarled Harry, trying to get past him, but Vandyke's figure was bigger than him.   
  
It was lucky that a few teachers sitting not far away noticed something went wrong, and managed to prevent Harry or Vandyke hitting each other. Knowing that by this time Cho would be impossible to find, Harry gave up. Viktor Krum was among the teachers, and let Harry off easily. (A/N: If you're wondering why Krum didn't ask Hermione to dance, it's because Anatje had cajoled Ron to ask Hermione before Krum did)   
  
"Sorry, Harry..." Gustave really looked it, and he was seldom sorry to people.   
  
"No...just leave me alone for a while." Harry went to the balcony again and stayed there until Anatje asked tentatively if he'd like to go on another great ride, with Hermione's help.   
  
After the incident in the Snowflake Summit, the afternoon wasn't half as much fun. Though Anatje, Ron and Hermione did their best to keep a conversation flowing, Harry remained quiet. He appreciated his friends' evident desire to help, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to laugh and chatter with them.   
  
  
During dinner that night, Alicia came to the Vuren table and passed Harry a piece of parchment from Cho, asking him to meet her at eight o'clock in the Quidditch field.   
  
There's no need to say that Harry could think of anything else after dinner, and when the time came, he quickly grabbed the warmest furry coat he had, told his friends where he was going, and set off to meet Cho.   
  
Cho was standing on the grass, her hair rather messy in the blowing wind. When she saw Harry coming, she immediately ran to him and said, "I'm sorry, Harry, about today at the Snowflake Summit..."   
  
"No...no...'s not your fault..."   
  
"It was very rude of me to run away, and I heard you nearly had a fight..." Her eyes fell on the bracelet Harry gave her for Christmas, and on an impulse, Cho reached up and put her arms around him. "I'm so sorry..."   
  
Seeing she was really distressed, Harry patted her on the back, whispering soothing words. Maybe she was feeling sorry or that she couldn't help it, Cho shyly laid her head on his chest, and saw no more of the night sky, the trees or anything apart from Harry's arm, which slowly encircled her waist.   
  
But the priceless moment lasted less then a minute. The couple did not notice a small, furry animal was watching behind a hedge, and slowly grew bigger and bigger...its pert nose elongated into a large, cruel beak and its bushy tail parted into two and enlarged into strong flapping wings. The creature rose in the air gently, but the next second, it swooped down and captured the two with its strong iron-like claws and carried them off in silent night.   
  
  
  
A/N: I was trying to write more of Ron and Hermione, but somehow I can't get them together soon 'cause they are kind of stubborn characters that don't admit their love easily, but I'll get Krum out some time later to push R/H a bit. Gustave and Anatje aren't characterized very well, although they are based on people I know. The food they had on Snowflake Summit was taken from a guide to Six Flags, a great amusement park I visited before. Also, the names of the rides were inspired too from Six Flags but I assure you they're original. Lucky I didn't throw away the Six Flag guide, though I never thought it would come useful! Thanks to my sister for the ideas of Barry Bott's Every Flavor Drinks and the Windmill Wheel too~   
PS. Thanks especially to Desiree for reviewing so constantly, and Ira Poon for pointing out the martial arts Cho did wasn't traditional Chinese kun-fu, and Bon, Super saya-Jin Gotan, VyingQuill~, Missy, lily, Amy, Person, Mr. Paladin-love you all! Oh, and...now acting as the Sorceress Queen...Chapter 10, here I come!   
  
  
  
4


	10. The Sorceress Queen

A/N: Sorry for such a late update! I'm a freshman now, and majoring in English. I really want to learn and gain a lot, so the professors I chose mostly assign much homework, so I don't have as much time to write! But hopefully I'll improve my writing after this semester (many say I'm good, but honestly, I don't think I'm good enough to my own standards, there's still much room for improvement) Anyway, here's the tenth chapter. R/R!  
  
  
It all happened too fast, faster than expected. Had not Cho been laying her head on Harry's chest, she might have noticed the dark, evolving silhouette behind the bushes. Harry, with his back facing the creature, definitely had no way to see what happened. The gigantic bird borne the two to the sky with such rapidity that Harry and Cho's screams died away almost instantly and therefore no one was alerted at Manxwell Academy.  
  
Swish...swish...went the powerful wings of the monstrous bird. Harry and Cho looked at each other. Horror, terror, and astonishment of this sudden attack mingled together in their eyes. Harry cast his gaze downwards; they have left the Manxwell island long ago, and all he could see were the black hideous waves rolling beneath. He shuddered, remembering Professor Jenna's encounter with the Dragonfinn. But...if that's the only way to escape...Harry began to struggle madly to free himself from the bird's clutches.  
  
"Harry, no!" Cho yelled at him.  
  
"But we have to get out!" Harry shouted back.  
  
"If you fall into the sea, you can't survive! It's freezing!"  
  
That put an end to Harry's fight. Realizing there's no hope for it, he gave up. The chilly night air stung his face. He could see Cho shivering. Harry's insides churned. Where was this monster taking them? Maybe it was hunting food for its young ones. He shuddered again. Better not...  
  
After about twenty minutes, Cho and Harry sighted a black dot on the sea in the north, which seemed to be where the bird was heading for. The dot gradually grew bigger and bigger...it was another island. The bird flew over the island, and Harry could make out a black mass below was a thick forest. Strange howls and wails came from the forest.  
  
Something different from the nature was jutting out of the treetops. As the bird flew nearer, Cho and Harry saw a great gray castle below, with many towers and turrets. The bird started to descend, and hovered for a moment before a huge iron door.  
  
Two large, ferocious looking hounds were pacing in front of the door. They had spiky manes and tongues long enough to reach the ground. When the beasts sensed the bird hovering above, they stopped their pacing and sat down on their hind legs. The bird screeched----a high, piercing shriek----and the immense iron door creaked and swung open...  
  
The bird swooped in, still carrying Harry and Cho. They were now in an enormous chamber. Green tapestries hung on the walls. A crystal chandelier was suspended from the ceiling. The floor and walls were made entirely from blocks of stone. Dozens of torches burning with yellow-and-green flames adorned the stone pillars. At the very end of the chamber was a raised throne.  
  
A woman sitting upon a large golden serpent, which was curled on the throne, stood up when she saw the visitors. The serpent slithered off the throne.  
  
Cho and Harry couldn't help glancing at the enigmatic woman. She was tall and stately. Her hair was very long-golden-red ringlets trailed down her back and shoulders...reaching the floor. She was startlingly beautiful, but there was no warmth in her steely-blue eyes, and her skin was dead white as a sheet. She was clothed in an amethyst gown trimmed in blood red furs. A string of heavy gold beads hung around her neck. She stared at them with an expression difficult to read, but Harry noticed the corners of her mouth curl up very slightly.  
  
"Accio!" The woman raised her left hand from a long draping sleeve and pointed a long white finger at Harry and Cho. Their wands shot out from their robes into her outstretched palm, and at the same time, the golden serpent had crawled to them and cornered the two with its glittering body. The bird released its hold on them and took off, settling itself on the woman's shoulder.  
  
Involuntarily, Harry clasped Cho's hand and pulled her close to him, trying to shield her from the serpent. Cho gave his hand an appreciative squeeze, but instead moved in front of him. Being a martial arts master, she wasn't really afraid of the horrible snake, and she was more concerned for Harry's safety than her own.  
  
"Welcome, my dears," spoke Madam Mysterious in a voice of cold delight.  
  
"Who are you?" demanded Cho defiantly.  
  
The tall woman smiled, but there was something sinister in her smile that Harry disliked; it reminded him of Tom Riddle.  
  
"Have you not read you history books thoroughly," she commented softly, folding her arms. "I am Abigail Grindelwald...the eminent renowned Sorceress Queen fifty years ago..."  
  
Jenna's words returned to Harry's mind. "...she mysteriously disappeared, fifty years ago..."  
  
The words came out before Harry could stop them. "Why?"  
  
"Why?" repeated the Sorceress Queen, her voice rising high with evident fury. "Why, indeed! Ask your dear headmaster Dumbledore! Fifty years I had to hide...hide in my little island, and therefore forgotten in the wizard world..."  
  
She now raised up her right arm from the sleeve and Cho let out a gasp.  
  
There was no hand at the end of the slender white limb. Where there should be five beautiful fingers instead was a stump. It looked pretty grotesque along with her dazzling apparel.  
  
"This..." said the Sorceress Queen, looking at her mutilated arm with pure hatred. "This is all Dumbledore's treachery! My father was the greatest Dark wizard of the era, but he mistrusted his servant, who was Dumbledore's spy! When I discovered what happened, my father was already seriously injured...I tried to help, but I was too inexperienced and lost my hand...and half of my powers..."  
  
The serpent hissed and Cho felt Harry's arm on hers tightened.  
  
"My father managed to use his remaining strength to transport me back to my palace, and perform the Fidelius Charm to ensure nobody can find me...and I disposed every human servant we had...it was all their fault that my father had perished...and left me all alone..."  
  
Thoughts ran through Harry's mind. Making sure that the serpent's head was tilted to another side, he asked another question, "How do you perform the charm if...if...?"  
  
Abigail Grindelwald laughed. She patted the huge, vulture-like bird, which was still perched on her shoulder.  
  
"Shape-shifter," she said complacently. "Brutus, when he's in human form, poses as my secret-keeper. He switches places with my other shape-shifter Gyppa, who's now in his serpent form around you. Brutus, show yourself to Miss Cho Chang."  
  
The bird (Brutus) transformed...it began to shrink...the monstrous wings became smaller and smaller...the feathers turned into brownish fur...its beak disappeared and a pert little nose appeared...  
  
"Chipper!"  
  
Cho stared at the squirrel on Abigail Grindelwald's shoulder. This can't be true, the cute, greedy, dear little pet she cherished was actually property of this woman full of vengeance. Cho turned her gaze back onto the Sorceress Queen's beautiful, yet cruel face.  
  
"Brutus and Gyppa have been acting spy for me at Hogwarts," continued the Sorceress Queen, stroking the squirrel beside her. "I had to get revenge on Dumbledore...twice I tried to assassinate him but in vain...I spent years trying to regain my powers with only one arm...later Brutus informed me about Lord Voldemort...I thought if I joined him, we could surely defeat Dumbledore and ensure the rise of the Dark Order again...but before I contacted him, Gyppa sent word that Voldemort met his downfall in you, Harry Potter...(here her gaze moved to Harry's scar) I was devastated, but first I made a potion...to make myself stay in my youth...Dumbledore will not stay young forever...finally, last year I heard Voldemort has risen again...I immediately sent a message to him, offering help of my magical pets, if only he would help me to revenge on Dumbledore..."  
  
"But what has this to do with Harry?" Cho asked, forgetting her fear for Gyppa while she listened to the Sorceress Queen's history.  
  
"Brutus told me about your exchange trip to Holland. Ha! Luck has finally favored me...I could get hold of Harry Potter, and turn him over to Lord Voldemort...which ensure his trust on me...and would surely help me destroy Dumbledore and his school..."  
  
Abigail Grindelwald cleared her throat. "Initially, I was curious to see what you, Harry Potter, an ordinary little boy had to defeat Lord Voldemort, so I told Gyppa to transform into a Lady Stinger when possible. Gyppa usually is an owl living in your Hogwarts Owlery, so not to arouse attention. I was amazed, though, when Gyppa recovered, he told me that you could do nothing more than a Stunning spell, and most of the credit goes to Brutus's new mistress...how amusing! It also made me worry, if little Miss Cho comes to Holland instead of Harry Potter, so I ordered Brutus to steal Protracitasum. That poison is especially useful because it takes effect after an unknown time, making it very difficult to trace. But you came to Holland after all (shoots a look at Cho)...well...it doesn't really matter as long as Potter is now in my hands..." she smirked and tossed her head.  
  
"So what you're going to do?" Harry spat. "Hand me over to Voldemort?"  
  
"What else do you think I've been planning all these days?" Abigail Grindelwald now stepped down from her throne, approaching Harry and Cho. "However, I must decide how to take care of Miss Cho Chang first. Shall I feed her to my darling hell hounds outside? Or...?"  
  
"Leave her alone!" shouted Harry. "It's me that you want! Let her go!"  
  
"Harry!" Cho looked at him warningly.  
  
The Sorceress Queen laughed again. "So you two are...er...very good friends, I see. Perhaps...torturing Harry Potter's lover girl in front of him...isn't that a perfect idea? Wait until Lord Voldemort Apparates..."  
  
She snapped her fingers. Strong cords sprang out from thin air and fastened themselves around Cho tightly.  
  
Cho gritted her teeth and summoned all the inner force she had from her martial arts practice. She clenched her fists and with a huge effort, the cords bounding her fell off. Grabbing Harry's arm, she prepared to make a flying leap into the air, but sadly, she did not make it as Harry's weight added difficulty to her spring. Gyppa, still in its serpent form, lunged out and closed its long jaws on her other arm. No matter how strong she was, the poison from the serpent was impossible for her to fight against, and Cho blacked out almost immediately.  
  
"CHO!" Without thinking, Harry reached out and tried his best to catch her falling, limp body.  
  
The Sorceress Queen now made a few screeching noises to Brutus. The squirrel transformed back to the large black bird and flew over to Cho. Using its mighty claws, Brutus soon wrenched her away from Harry. The Sorceress Queen raised her hand and pointed at the iron door. She needed not a wand, a stream of silver sparks shot straight on the door and it swung open. Brutus, carrying Cho, swooped outside and the door slowly closed shut.  
  
Harry was livid with anger. He at first tried to run over to Cho, but Brutus had flown high in the chamber, and Gyppa was eyeing him hungrily.   
  
"Stay where you are," came the cold voice of the Sorceress Queen. She folded her arms and looked at him contemptuously. "I must go and send a message off to Lord Voldemort. Soon I will join his ally with my army of creatures and restore the Dark Order..." She swept away, lifted up a large emerald tapestry hanging down from the left side of the throne, and disappeared into an inner chamber.  
  
Harry was now left alone in the huge chamber with Gyppa coiled around him. Without his wand, there was no possible way of escape.  
  
  
  
fairydust816: I agree, there should be more h/c fics! Actually, I'm planning to start on another one after I finish with the eleventh chapter. I've also heard of the rumor you said. I know there's little chance of Harry and Cho to get together, but I'd really love to see them as a couple. That's why I'm writing fanfiction!  
  
Bon: If you mean the thing at the end of chapter 9, that's Brutus (Chipper).  
  
dark: Thanks. Your review really gave me incentive to keep going. I had a bit of writer's block when writing this chapter.  
  
  
  
A/N: Any questions of the plot, please tell me. I will get writing on the next chapter soon. To tell the truth, I've imagined scenes of the eleventh chapter before I started writing the story! I like action! :)  



	11. The Escape

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine; they belong to J.K. Rowling, of course! But the plot is, I've worked hard and long on it.   
  
A/N: This is a very late update...again! Actually I have gone half way through this chapter but I felt it was really bad and rewrote the whole thing again. Please r/r!   
  
  
  
Drip...drip...drip...   
  
A tall handsome figure stood among dark shadows...his finely cut features barely recognizable under blood stains...but Cho knew him.   
  
"Cedric?" she whispered. The sound of dripping continued to echo through her mind.   
  
Cedric Diggory paid no attention. He fixed his ghostly gaze on Cho, sending shivers down her spine. There was no warmth in his gray eyes; his face expressionless. Suddenly Cedric began to shrink...his hair became untidy and messy...glasses appeared on his face...   
  
"Harry?"   
  
Drip...drip...drip...   
  
Harry Potter now stood in place of where Cedric was standing...and to Cho's horror...a great dark shadow loomed into view...Lord Voldemort. Cho wanted to scream, but no sound came out. A cruel smile formed on Voldemort's hideous face...which strongly resembled the Sorceress Queen...he raised a bony finger...and a large snake came slithering out from the shadows...it bared its fangs...   
  
"Harry! Run!" Cho tried to shout, but no sound came out. She wanted to run forward and help him, but she couldn't move. Every part of her body seemed to be made of lead.   
  
The serpent lowered its ugly triangular head toward Harry, jaws wide open, and snapped...Cho shut her eyes...it can't be...   
  
Drip...drip...drip...   
  
"NO!" Cho woke up in a sudden, finding herself in a small dark cell. Water was trickling down from the ceiling at a corner and there was already a puddle formed. Iron bars blocked the opening, and there was a heavy bronze padlock hanging on the door.   
  
"Where am I? What's this place?" Cho slowly got up from the hard stone floor and looked around. Her mind was clouded and foggy, but gradually things came back to focus. She remembered being bitten by Gyppa, and saw the puncture on her arm. It hurt a bit, but other than that, she felt completely fine. Maybe the Sorceress Queen really wanted to torture her in front of Harry...Harry? The thought of Harry struck her like a heavy blow. Was he safe? What if Voldemort had arrived?   
  
"I must get out of here!" Cho glared at the iron bars walled before her. Closing her eyes, she summoned the inner force inside her, and taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and brought it down with full force on the padlock-Bang!   
  
Pain spread on her palm, but the padlock remained just as it was. Cho tried a couple more times, even kicking at the door, but except for the loud bang that occurred when she hit the door, no damage was done.   
  
Cho sat on the floor, massaging her arm. What could she do to that stupid door? It wouldn't budge, no matter what she did. Her mind again wandered to the scrawny, enigmatic, yet noble boy who lived.   
  
"Harry..." Cho began to regret that in the past few months of her attitude toward Harry. Deep down inside she knew that she liked him, more than the perfect lady-killer Cedric Diggory. She knew that Harry had feelings for her ever since she noticed him blushing whenever she said hi to him. But she was too proud to let herself admit the fact that she liked him too, the way he fixed his emerald eyes on her, how he always did his best in Quidditch matches, and never stuck up though he was the most famous young wizard in the world. But now...at this juncture, trapped in dangerous grounds, Cho fervently wished she had returned Harry's affection now that there seemed little chance of survival. Cedric was already gone, she just couldn't bear to lose another she cared for, especially the one she knew she really loved...   
  
Cho decided to try again. She couldn't just sit there doing nothing. As she whirled around and delivered a hard kick on the door for the eighth time, something fell out of her robes and landed on the ground.   
  
"What...?" Cho picked the object-it was a firecracker. She had bought it in the Dome of Enchantments, intending to use it on the upcoming birthday of one of her Manxwell friends. Suddenly she realized this could come useful...Cho looked up and spotted torches burning with yellow and green flames on the wall of either side of the cell.   
  
With great effort, Cho poked the firecracker between the bars and managed to set the end alight from the flaming torch. Quickly she put the sizzling firecracker onto the padlock and withdrew her hand.   
  
Boom! The firecracker exploded and showered the ground with colorful bits of paper, which arranged themselves into the words of "Happy Birthday". But Cho had other things on her mind, she was delighted to find that the padlock was split almost all way through. She easily chopped the rest open, and let herself out of the cell.   
  
The atmosphere was damp, and apart from the flaming torches, there was no other source of light. Cho noticed that there were many other cells in the room, similar to that which she just broke open. Most of them were empty, but a few hosted a pile of bones, or something grotesque.   
  
Cho stepped out of the cell room and took a tentative look outside. There was nothing except for a dark, quiet corridor. Cho started down one direction but found it a dead end. She went the othery way, and to her great relief, there was an old stone staircase leading the way up. She immediately went up the stairs, careful not to make any noise, which was easy after she took off her shoes and left them at the bottom of the staircase.   
  
After about ten minutes, Cho paused at the front of a small dark green wooden door. A strange, peculiar aroma was coming out of the room inside. Cho peered through a small hole on the door and almost gasped out in surprise.   
  
It was a big well-lit kitchen with dozens of house elves bustling around. Cho had been to the Hogwarts kitchen to nick food for Ravenclaw parties, but this place was-different. The food the house elves were preparing seemed to be meant for beasts, not humans. One house elf was chopping up large chunks of raw meat. Another was ladling soup from a black cauldron into a large bowl, and Cho was horrified at the contents-- pieces of beetles, roaches, slugs, caterpillars...but wait, as her gaze roved further, she spotted another elf arranging things that resembled the Dutch dishes she had at Manxwell Academy onto a silver tray.   
  
Cho stood outside, wondering what she should do, continue up the stairs or wait? She was getting more and more anxious about Harry but where could she find him in the castle? Just then the door opened and Cho quickly hid behind it. Luckily she was small and the house elf carrying the silver tray came out and did not notice her.   
  
Seeing the tray of Dutch food gave Cho a sudden thought. Since the Sorceress Queen said that she had disposed of every human servant in the palace, then the food could only be for her, or Harry! She decided to follow the elf up the spiral staircase.   
  
The trip was long and twice the elf paused for rest. Finally, the elf reached the top of the stairs and turned on a narrow corridor, then up another flight of stairs. The furnishing of the palace so far was handsome, but cold and uninviting. At last the elf came to a large marble door and squeaked in a high-pitched voice, "Supper ees ready!"   
  
"Bring it in," came the icy voice of the Sorceress Queen.   
  
The house elf pushed open the door and Cho, crouching behind, had a glimpse of the edge of a huge canopied bed and a table beneath a window...something caught her attention, for lying on that table were two wands-Harry's and hers!   
  
"Shall I get them?"   
  
Cho weighed the pros and cons in her mind. The house elf was going to return to its quarters when the Sorceress Queen has finished her supper. She didn't know anything about the palace, and was afraid of exploring it on her own. If only she could grab the wands, at least it would help for self-defense. She was no match, even with her fighting skills, for the Sorceress Queen, who didn't need a wand to cast magic. It was a hard decision, but finally Cho settled down on the plan to wait and see, outside the Sorceress Queen bedchamber.   
  
It seemed like an eternity for Cho, crouching outside with her palms wet from cold sweat, and her heart pounding from fear and anxiety. Finally, about an hour later, the Sorceress Queen swept out of her chamber, looking triumphant from her capture of Harry Potter. Cho quickly ducked behind a suit of armor. The Sorceress Queen paused a moment as though she heard the rustle only several feet away, but she walked slowly away, with Brutus perched on her shoulder.   
  
Cho waited until the Sorceress Queen had disappeared at the end of the corridor, then hopped out of her hiding place. She opened the marble door and entered...   
  
The Sorceress Queen's bedchamber was pretty huge, almost as big as their common room. However, it did not host much furniture. The floor was covered with a thick dark green carpet, and there were only a few marble chairs and tables scattered here and there. It seemed to be empty. Cho tiptoed to the window, and reached out for the wands...   
  
"So..."   
  
Cho whirled around in shock. The Sorceress Queen was standing smugly at the entrance, arms folded. "I thought I did hear something behind me when I went to send the letter," she said. "How did you get out of the underground cell, my dear young lady?"   
  
"Tell me where Harry is first," replied Cho, taking a few steps backwards. Her fingers closed around the wands.   
  
"Do you think I will tell you, after I've waited so long for this?" The Sorceress Queen raised her hand, and Cho froze a second, what should she do? Was she going to let herself get caught again? It's now or never. Cho raised her wand.   
  
"Conjuntiva!" she yelled, and the next second, without looking back, Cho ran and flung herself out of the window. (A/N: Sirius was going to suggest a spell for Harry to fight the Horntail, right? The spell's a Conjunctivitis Curse, which affects the eyes and visions of target. This is listed in the Harry Potter's Lexicon website.)   
  
In the dark night, Cho was plummeting straight downward...she spotted the trees of the forest below, but before she fell on top of them, a black blur whizzed in lightning speed to her and Cho felt her arm grabbed by someone...   
  
"HARRY!"   
  
Harry himself was also very much surprised; he had reacted before thinking. "Cho, you okay?" he said, and pulled her up into a sitting position behind him on the Firebolt.   
  
"Yeah," gasped Cho, slipping her arms around him without second thought. "Oh Harry, I was so worried...how on earth did you escape?"   
  
Harry guided the Firebolt under the trees at the edge of the palace's gray walls, explaining briefly that he had suddenly recalled that he had his Firebolt with him, stored in the bag Jenna gave him as a prize for his superior use of the Multiplex Charm. Cho was amazed and relieved when she heard it.   
  
"...and I got it out when that snake wasn't watching. It was getting sleepy...so I managed to fly out before it could get me...and I was circling outside...wondering what to do...and then I saw you fall, Cho, I..."   
  
Harry was forced to cut off because the Sorceress Queen had taken action. Rising out of a region of the forest were a herd of large, angry creatures-winged monkeys. These were breed by the Sorceress Queen herself, therefore their appearance differed greatly from the ones Hagrid brought to class-their faces were cruel and twisted, their wings dark gray, almost black...they were flying in various directions, armed with stones and other heavy objects, Harry and Cho realized they couldn't hide under the trees forever...   
  
Just then Harry felt something touch his right hand, which was gripping the Firebolt hard. Cho had laid her hand on his, and gave it a tight, quick squeeze. "Be careful." She said in a low, yet firm voice.   
  
That comforting gesture and concerned words went straight to Harry's heart, and he in turn flipped his hand and held her hand tightly for a second. Just a second, and he resumed his position and shot out into the air, heading away from the palace.   
  
The winged monkeys shrieked and raced after them, and soon the air was thick with flying stones, aimed straight to Harry and Cho. The latter was doing her best to ward the attackers off with her wand, but it was difficult for her to turn her upper body on the speeding Firebolt. Half of the hexes and curses she used were successful, and sent a few stones straight back to the winged monkeys.   
  
A particularly large winged monkey was flying near... "Harry, turn left!" Several more stones were pelting at them, Cho did her best with the Multiplex Charm, but still one stone hit her hard on the back. She needed to change tactics, or...   
  
"Hold on!"   
  
"What?"   
  
"Just keep flying, and don't move!"   
  
Taking a deep breath, Cho released her hold on Harry's waist, and placed both her hands on his shoulders. Harry felt a strong weight pressed into his shoulders, he winced, and the next second Cho landed before him on the Firebolt. In those crucial seconds, Cho had somersaulted in the air and slipped her legs under the space between Harry's arms.   
  
Were it not for the dangerous situation, Harry would have gone so red that his cheeks would be like on fire. Cho was sitting in front of him, not even an inch away, for under the circumstances she was pressed closely to him, her silky black hair brushing against his neck, her head on his shoulder, concentrating hard on fighting off the winged monkeys.   
  
"Lower, Harry! Right!"   
  
A jet of bright red sparks burst from Cho's wand and hit the nearest winged monkey. It was stunned and plunged head down through the air. Harry had no time to imagine the winged monkey falling onto the ground with a dead thud, meeting instant death.   
  
By this time, they had passed the island and the great black sea lay before them.   
  
"Okay, Harry..." Cho withdrew and looked at him, her eyes sparkling. "Most of them are down...um..." She blushed, edging a little further from him, but as Harry's arms were around her, holding on the broom, she still couldn't look straight at him in the eye.   
  
Harry was blushing too, but somehow he was unwilling to let her go, yet. He just stared at her, when it occurred to him that they were flying straight ahead, regardless of direction. "Cho...er...can I have my wand back? We need to know how to get back, you know..."   
  
"Oh, of course..." Cho gave it to him. Harry was about to mutter, "Point me," , but just then a loud sound of something enormous breaking through the waves thundered, and Cho and Harry looked down.   
  
A gigantic creature had risen from the sea. It was dark brown in color, its neck as long as the basilisk Harry met in the Chamber of Secrets, the yellow smoke puffing out of its nostrils rose in great clouds, it turned its head toward Harry and Cho so they saw both of its fiery red eyes, as large as dinner plates, it opened its mouth...a Dragonfinn...just like Jenna described...   
  
Harry made a sharp turn as yellow and green flames spurting out like an enormous wave came near to engulfing him and Cho...   
  
"IMPEDIMENTA!"   
  
The spell pelted out from Cho's wand and hit the Dragonfinn squarely on the eye. It winced a bit, but recovered almost in no time, and lunged a second attack.   
  
Harry dodged, he pulled out of the thick mist of smoke, but the heat was so intense, that the end of his robes was burned.   
  
There was no time to waste. Harry put an extra burst of speed on the Firebolt, and it zoomed almost vertically upward, taking them far away from the horrible Dragonfinn.   
  
But before Harry and Cho had time to breathe a sigh of relief, new chaos ensued.   
  
Brutus, in its giant vulture form, came flying toward them. There was a figure wrapped in dark red velvet robes astride it, her beautiful face contorted in profound anger-Abigail Grindelwald.   
  
"So you think you're going to get away like that?" she screamed, raising both arms, even her mutilated arm, in extreme fury. Jets of sparks shot to Harry and Cho like showering fireworks.   
  
Seeing the spells coming like a large colorful net, Harry did his best to perform the Shielding Charm and managed to block off the curses. Cho also used her wand to add power to the magic safeguard before them, but both knew it was only temporary, they didn't have enough strength to maintain the wall...   
  
"Come up here..." commanded the Sorceress Queen. "Give up fighting or I'll make you!"   
  
"Never!" shouted Cho, who was now full of hatred for the Sorceress Queen for hurting Harry. She longed to simply fly over and give the Sorceress Queen a good hard punch in the face. But the Sorceress Queen was riding on Brutus...that insidious beast...it was no use trying to stun that monster, the spells they knew were too weak...however, the Sorceress Queen is humane...   
  
On a sudden thought, Cho whispered to Harry, "Aim her foot."   
  
"What?" Harry turned the Firebolt as more spells whizzed toward them. Unfortunately, two broke through the shield and hit him, one on the shoulder; the other on his back. Blood began to trickle down from the wounds. Cho wasn't hurt because Harry was shielding her.   
  
"Harry...you..."   
  
"Don't bother...you said to mark her foot?"   
  
"Yeah...sure you can do it?"   
  
Harry nodded, and braced himself on the Firebolt with one hand. As Brutus swung around for the Sorceress Queen to cast more attacks, Harry squinted and took careful aim. "Relashio!" just as the Sorceress Queen raised her hand.   
  
A jet of fiery sparks pelted toward the Sorceress Queen win tremendous force...she was busy on sending more hexes and curses to Harry and Cho and didn't pay much attention...suddenly she felt a sharp pain on her left ankle...she was irritated and bent down to check if the wound was serious...   
  
Cho was waiting for this precious moment. Immediately she pointed her wand at the Sorceress Queen's wrist, which was fully exposed as she reached out her good arm to check her ankle...and Cho shouted with all her might, "Penetratus!"   
  
A stream of ink-black sparks went straight to the Sorceress Queen, she felt an intense pain on her wrist and cried out in pain, almost her whole wrist was broken from the forceful spell Cho had used-one of the most aggressive magic she learned, and it came to use at perfect time.   
  
"NO!" screamed the Abigail Grindelwald, staring at her wrist in horrified disbelief. Now she couldn't cast any magic as both her hands were mutilated...Brutus, unaware of what happened to his mistress...was hovering in midair...not sure what to do next...   
  
Harry put both hands on his Firebolt again and zoomed away at maximum speed. It was essential that they should leave this dangerous spot in case the Sorceress Queen had come up with any new means of attack. When Harry looked back to make sure that the Sorceress Queen and her shape-shifter pet were no longer in sight, he slowed down and stopped.   
  
"I think...we'd need to figure how to get back, Cho..."   
  
"I know, Harry, use the Four-Point spell and fly south...oh, and Harry, I'm so glad we've got out of there alive, you're really alright from that nasty spell, are you? I..." Cho withdrew her hand from Harry's back; it was stained with blood.   
  
"Don't worry," said Harry, looking at her anxious face. "Thank god you're safe."   
  
Cho looked up at him, suddenly aware that she was still sitting in Harry's arms. She blushed, but in her heart she was determined to make a resolution...   
  
"Um...Harry? I...want to say that I'm sorry that...I wasn't very good to you...because of...him, but now, I really want to say thank you and..."   
  
Tears welled up in Cho's eyes and she tried to fight them back, but somehow the tears continued to stream down. Harry reached out and gently wiped the tears away. The touch of Cho's face stirred up something inside him. Maybe because of the fact they had just escaped from the clutches broke the barrier between them, or of Cho's heartfelt confession, his hand still on Cho's cheek, Harry bent down and kissed her.   
  
Cho's eyes widened in surprise; her first reaction was to push him away, as she was taught to defend herself since she was young.   
  
Harry felt the rashness of his action, so he quickly apologized, "Sorry, I didn't..."   
  
But Cho raised her face, smiling through her tears. "No, it's okay. You've been wanting to do this to me for a long time, have you?" Reaching up to wrap her arms around Harry's neck, she pulled his head down and kissed him with all the warmth and sweetness she could give. Harry responded with a passion that surprised himself.   
  
They sat on the Firebolt, holding each other in tight embrace. The waves below rolled and crashed. The air was still chilly and cold, bit it didn't matter now. For it was the one of the best moments of Harry's life.   
  
It was still dark, but dawn was slowly forming in the east. The light of daybreak was glowing over the sea.   
  
  
  
Desiree: Thanks, and please continue with your story SOON!   
  
Crystalite 104: How about you try your hand on a H/C fic? I'm scouring ff.net constantly in search of them, but it's so scarce... 


	12. Please read...

This is not a new chapter...I'm really sorry, but originally in the 11 chapter I have written an author's note but it didn't show up. I replaced the chapter several times but in vain, so I decided to put it here, because I think there's a need to do so. Here it is, and for those who reviewed, please don't get angry at me... :P   
  
A/N: I will stop writing this story for perhaps a long time, but I promise to get a new fic up after mid-term exams. It's because I don't think there's much worth writing after the mystery is solved. If you have got any comments on my story please review, or just drop a word or two, I'd really appreciate it. Flames are welcome too, as long as they're based on reasonable facts. My second fic is going to be H/C of course, and based on the fifth year AGAIN. I was sort of inspired from Firebolt's (Now Tinderblast) brilliant fic "Tinsel Wing, Parts I and II" so it'll be something like that, told from Cho's point of view. Since I've mentioned about that, I might as well list a couple more of the FEW H/C fics I've found on ff.net that I'd recommend to anyone who hasn't read them yet. Quaffle's "The Riddle's Birthright", Desiree's two stories, Stardust Firebolt's "Starry Memories", Sarisa's "Harry and Cho", and Pottermaniac's stories. Oh, by the way, I'm so glad that the movie is coming! I started countdown since March! Can't wait for it~ 


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